ReiSenzai X Files
by Juura99
Summary: The following files record the investigations of the Rei-Senzai Inc. crew. These files have not been editted in anyway. The truth...is no longer hidden. All characters used. Ratings vary per case. Yaoi.
1. Dead in the Water

**Important A/N: If you have not read my stories 'Rei-Senzai Inc.' and it's ongoing sequel, 'Rei-Senzai: Possession', some of the stories might not make sense, or you will not understand all the jokes and quips. It's best if you read those first, for all new readers. For all the other, up to date readers, ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Naruto, or Rosemary's Lullaby. I do, however, own the Rei-Senzai plotline.**

**Warnings: Language, horror, supernatural.**

**Characters: Itachi, Kakashi, Kisame(brief).**

**Dead in the Water.**

* * *

College student Kuro Hoshi sighed and flicked his cigarette into the water. He shivered slightly, tugging his jacket tighter as the fog settled in. He wasn't sure why he'd had the urge to go to the old pier near the hospital, but it had been a good place for a smoke. He chuckled slightly, knowing that if his girlfriend Miku knew he was smoking she'd have his ass. But the last few days had been stressful as hell and he just needed some sort of relief. Smoking calmed him and it's not like he did it all the time. This had been his first one in months.

He ran a hand through his spiky hair, taking a deep breath. He figured it was probably time to head back. His friends wanted to meet up with him at the little bar near his apartment after all and he didn't want to be late.

Just as he was about to start jogging, he heard a splash. His head whipped around, eyes scanning the water below.

"Hello?" he called, peering into the thick fog. He could barely make anything out in the murky greyness. Another splash sounded, a little further away. Cautiously so as not to fall, he stepped along, squinting to try and see better. "Hello, is someone there?"

He paused when he heard a new sound. It sounded like...whimpers?

"Are you hurt?" he called, his training as a med student taking over as he walked faster. "It's okay, I'm a doctor, I can help!" '_Well, not quite a doctor yet but who's keeping track?_'

The whimpers grew louder and he could just make out a white shape in the distance, the fog swirling around it. As he got closer he realized it was a woman, crouching down and facing the water. She was sobbing into her hands.

"Miss! Miss are you okay? Are you hurt somewhere?" he asked, now jogging. He couldn't see any injuries but one could never be sure. As he got closer, the woman suddenly looked up. She faced him for a split second.

"_Lies._"

Hoshi yelled out when she suddenly launched forward, disappearing into the water below.

"Shit! Miss!" He knelt at the edge, looking down into the water and trying to see where she was. "Miss!"

There was silence but for his heavy breathing, and he reached into his back pocket for his phone, intent on calling an ambulance and the police. As he pulled the device out, however, another splash sounded. He looked around only to see a pale face, bloodshot eyes and a breathy voice.

"_Lies!_"

His scream was short lived as he was pulled into the waters below, disappearing beneath the surface.

The fog lifted.

* * *

**The following files are records of the paranormal investigations carried out by the crew Rei-Senzai Incorporated. The events recorded in these files are all true and are in no way altered. **

**Investigation #1**

**Location: **Abandoned Pier

* * *

Uchiha Itachi brushed some hair away from his face, a soft breath escaping him and fogging the air before him. His dark eyes slowly took in the surroundings, lingering slightly on the large warehouse just opposite the docks. The evening air was chilled, combined with the cold sea breeze that blew from the inky depths of the nearby ocean, made him shiver slightly, and wrap his jacket tighter around himself. He heard the other door open, and the crunch of boots on loose gravel before the weight of a hand on his shoulder made him peer over his shoulder at his employer and long time friend, Hatake Kakashi.

"Ready to go ghost hunting?" Kakashi asked with a hidden smirk. Itachi narrowed his eyes over his shoulder at the older man before shrugging the hand off and stalking towards the warehouse.

"Let's just get this over with." He muttered.

Kakashi sighed lightly behind him, watching the raven walk away with stiff shoulders. "Honestly...You'll get yourself killed that way." He muttered, his eye raking over the edges of the docks where he could hear the water slapping against the cement and wood. He glanced over his shoulder and his eyes narrowed as he saw the tall, thick wall of fog heading their way from across the ocean. It would reach them in an hour or two at most.

He let out a frustrated sigh, putting his hands deep in his pockets before quickly following after Itachi, his visible eye already spinning red and examining the area for any signs of ghostly activity.

"I really hope this is a bust." He muttered, once again glancing back at the fog.

Itachi walked into the cold warehouse, hardly sparing a glance to anything as he continued straight forward. His footsteps echoed loudly in the empty space and the soft rustling of his clothes was audible, sounding like millions of small creatures crawling across the ground. He hadn't been a part of the agency for too long, and the few jobs he'd taken part in had been low key or busts.

He reached the middle of the warehouse and stopped, digging into his coat pocket and pulling out a miniature flashlight. Clicking it on, he began sweeping the beam over the area, looking for anything.

Kakashi stood behind, doing the same. However, his red eye was taking in everything on a different level.

"...I can't see anything." Itachi said shortly, pocketing the flashlight once more. As soon as that was done, a soft noise sounded from the corner. Both men froze, listening intently.

Slowly, Kakashi raised his own flashlight towards the corner. There was nothing there, but he cautiously stepped closer, eyes scanning the area. Itachi stayed back, slowly bringing out his own flashlight and clicking it on.

"...See anything?" he whispered, feeling his blood pulsing in his veins. He was tense, muscles ready to spring into action at any moment. Kakashi edged closer to the corner and noticed a crack in the wall. A very cold breeze was issuing from the fissure, and he frowned.

"...Shit..." he hissed, getting closer. He hated having to peek through small cracks and holes. One thing horror movies and games got right was...there was _always_ a bloody pop-up in those situations.

Motioning for Itachi to stay where he was, Kakashi pressed his palms flat against the wall on either side of the crack. He shivered slightly at the freezing air hitting his face as he leant closer until he had one eye close to the opening.

Bracing himself, he looked in through the hole, using one hand to carefully shine his flashlight through too.

There was an empty looking room on the other side, decorated with thick cobwebs, rusted walls and crawling insects. Kakashi almost sighed in relief at the normality of the room.

A high pitched shriek and a blood-shot eye with a dilated pupil amidst white slammed against the wall on the other side, skin around it decomposing and soggy.

Kakashi sucked in a breath in surprise, and behind him he heard Itachi step back, undoubtedly shocked at the sudden noise. However, the silver-haired man didn't move from his spot. Instead he continued to look into the eye even as his own spun red.

The ghostly eye darted around almost fearfully, looking to the upper left, then the lower right, then straight up again before rolling back around.

"_Liars...Liars!..._"

The voice was waterlogged and sickened, and it made Kakashi's stomach churn nastily as images of rotting flesh in a swamp invaded his mind.

And then the eye was gone, leaving the room empty once more. Kakashi moved back from the wall and finally let his breath out, placing a hand over his heart to help it slow down.

"I hate pop-ups." He mumbled. "Looks like we've got a legit case here, Itachi." He said.

No reply.

"...'Tachi?" Kakashi turned around, and froze.

The room was empty.

"What...Itachi?.! ITACHI?"

His ears picked up a splashing sound, and his head snapped towards the warehouse exit. "No...NO!" he shot off, running towards the doors. Pushing out into the cool night air, he hissed when he saw the fog was upon them, slowly taking up the air. However, he continued towards the piers edge.

"ITACHI?"

There was another splash before coughing and Kakashi flung himself to the side of the pier, on his knees and looking over.

Itachi was in the water, clutching onto the wooden beam holding up the pier. He was spitting water out, his hair matted to his face as he was rocked in the water by the suddenly surging currents.

"Itachi!" Kakashi yelled down. "Are you okay?.!"

Even at the distance, he could make out the potent glare sent his way.

"I'm sopping wet, in the freezing water, after getting dragged across the floor by a psychotic ghost bitch. I'm just fucking _peachy_!" the Uchiha roared back.

Kakashi chuckled nervously. "Just hang on man, I'll get you!" He stood up and ran towards the car, fumbling at the doors until he wrenched them open. Looking in the back seat at the various items he'd seen fit to bring, he grabbed the long length of rope and briefly held it to his forehead.

"Thank you, Obito, for forcing your habit of bringing rope everywhere on me!" he silently prayed before spinning around and running back towards the pier.

Kneeling at the edge he looked down, relieved to see Itachi was still clinging onto the beam.

"Itachi! I'm going to throw you a rope!" he called.

"Sure."

Chuckling at the dry tone, Kakashi unwound the rope and lowered the end until he felt the tug indicating Itachi was holding it. Using all his strength, he began hauling the rope back.

"Geez, Itachi! The hell have you been eating?" he huffed.

"Shut up!" Itachi grumbled as he appeared at the side. He flung his arm out, grabbing the pier and pulling himself up the rest of the way before collapsing in a wet heap next to his panting friend. Eyes trained towards the foggy sky, he scowled. "...I hate ghosts."

Kakashi chuckled dryly, leaning back on his elbows. "Yeah me too. Which is exactly why I'm in the profession of getting rid of them."

Itachi smirked and pushed himself up. "Good point, I suppose. But can we hurry up and exorcise this bitch. I'm freezing." He said, his teeth chattering slightly as he spoke.

Kakashi smiled. "The cold bastard getting cold. The world is a wacky place indeed." He joked as he pushed to his feet. Turning, he looked for the car and frowned when he noticed the fog was incredibly thick. He couldn't even see the edge of the pier.

Itachi stood too, shivering. He looked around, his eyebrows furrowing when he couldn't see more than a few feet. "Damn fog."

"It must be her doing." Kakashi said. His eye bled red once more and he took in the surroundings before he sighed loudly. "She's trying to trap us."

"Bitch."

Kakashi smirked at his friend's muttering and slowly stepped forwards. Itachi followed behind and the two carefully made their way through the fog. After several feet, Kakashi paused.

"...Okay...Either we turned at one point...or the pier broke in the middle." He said slowly.

Itachi frowned and stepped up beside him before his lips parted in shock.

The rest of the pier was gone.

The two men stood close together, looking over the edge of the suddenly broken pier. Their minds were racing as they tried to figure out what the ghost had done.

"...Illusion?" Itachi suggested.

Kakashi knelt down and put his hand out over the edge. He quickly thrust his hand down, only to lurch back quickly, shaking his head.

"Nope. Not an illusion." He mumbled.

"_Liar!_"

"I'm not lying...Shit!" Kakashi spun around, Itachi following his lead. In a brief flash as the fog swirled and swayed around them, they saw what looked like a woman wearing a long white gown. Then a wave of fog washed over her and she vanished.

Itachi and Kakashi looked around, their muscles tense and their ears and eyes on high alert. Kakashi had his eye activated, the swirling red iris taking in everything around him.

Itachi saw a flash of white streak past the side and spun to face it, but was met with fog.

Kakashi heard a shift to his left and turned to look, but there was nothing.

"...She's toying with us." Itachi growled, reaching into his coat.

"Ah. I think...the first thing we need to do is get off the pier." Kakashi said softly, already kneeling close to the edge. "We don't know how much of the pier is broken away. There's a ladder on the wall, near the water. If we can get through the currents, we can make it."

Itachi opened his mouth to answer when he paused, his ears pricking at the sound of singing. The two men listened carefully, and sure enough a voice was singing...

"...Is that...Rosemary's Lullaby?" Itachi asked slowly.

Kakashi shivered as the familiar notes hit his ears. "I think it is..."

"Come to think of it...What was the history of the woman again?" Itachi asked, still looking around carefully. Kakashi took a breath, thinking carefully before he recited all the information Kakuzu had managed to gather.

"Hachiko Sei, aged 29 at death on March 23rd, 1995. Her body was never recovered. Jumped off the pier after escaping from her room at Konoha General Hospital and being pursued by both hospital staff and police reinforcements. She was re-located to the hospital after an incident in Oto General Hospital that caused...caused..." Kakashi closed his eyes. "...That caused a miscarriage, apparently. She had been pregnant."

Itachi frowned as another flash moved.

"_Lies!_"

The Uchiha leant closer to his friend. "She's constantly saying 'lies'...could she be referring to the miscarriage? Perhaps it was a lie?" he whispered. Kakashi hummed in thought, still tense.

"That could be the case. And it could explain why she stuck around. Perhaps, in death, she discovered that her child was still alive and her anger towards the hospital's mistake caused her to become an angry spirit." He surmised. "...Hey wait, the college student that went missing!" he said, snapping his fingers together. "Kuro Hoshi was his name, correct?"

"Yes, I believe so."

Kakashi nodded slowly. "It makes sense..." he mumbled.

Itachi turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "It does? Explain."

"Kuro Hoshi was a medical student. Not only that but I just remembered the name of the doctor mentioned in the file. The one who told her she had the miscarriage. His name was Dr. Kuro Satoshi."

Itachi's eyes slid closed in understanding. "...She took revenge on his child for her own."

"Exactly."

Any celebration at solving the mystery was put on hold when a loud shriek was heard. Both men looked up in time to the spirit of Sei swooping through the air. Kakashi grunted when she collided with his stomach, disappearing the moment she made contact. He cursed as he flew off the edge of the dock.

"Kakashi!" Itachi's hand shot out, grabbing the falling man by the arm. Kakashi moved into the swing and managed to grab onto the pier ledge with his free hand. He climbed up, hearing another shriek.

"She's coming!" Itachi yelled out, ducking as the ghost swept over them. Kakashi ducked down, grinning.

"Itachi you _pervert_ you. I'm so proud."

"Fuck off Kakashi!"

Any more banter was thrown off when a loud crack resonated in the air. Both men froze as they felt the pier sway.

"...Oh no she didn't." Itachi hissed, eyes widening.

Another crack and they were thrown to their stomachs as the pier jolted and began to tilt.

"Oh yes she did." Kakashi supplied, scrabbling to grip the wooden beams and stay on. Suddenly the entire pier jolted violently, and Itachi slid towards the edge. He grunted, grabbing onto a small knob to keep himself on the pier but his legs dangled over the side. Kakashi was struggling to keep his grip, his nails digging into the small openings between the boards.

The pier tilted more and more and Itachi hissed as more of his body was left to dangle in space, the water coming closer and closer. Kakashi was glaring around, trying to find the spirit.

"_Liars!_"

Itachi sucked in a breath when he felt something grab his ankle and tug. Kakashi snapped his head around and his eyes widened when he saw Itachi slip further and the ghost pulled.

"Itachi!"

The knob broke off and Itachi cursed as he was dragged into the water at full speed, hardly able to take a breath before he was sinking deeper and deeper into the murky depths. He could hear the spirit's whimpers as she flashed around him, circling him like a predator. He glared at her through the water, kicking against the hold she had on his ankle but it wouldn't let up and he was going deeper than ever.

His lungs were beginning to burn with the need for air, and he felt panic beginning to creep into his heart, making it thud wildly in his chest.

Suddenly her face appeared right in front of him, mouth gaping in a silently cry.

"_Why did they lie...Why did they lie?_" the words were drawn out, and the tone was pitiful.

But Itachi couldn't feel sympathy when he was starting to choke for lack of air. His glare increased as the ghost came closer, her pale hands heading for his neck. He felt them wrap around his neck, cold and wet and lighter than the touch of a breeze, and yet they were constricting his throat even more. He didn't understand her logic. It's not like he could breathe anyway!

But as the hands squeezed tighter he realized in horror she wasn't trying to choke him. She was going to rip his head off!

Thrashing had no effect whatsoever, and the edges of his vision were beginning to black out. The panic had truly set in and he could already see his life flashing before his eyes.

'_No...No...Not now! I can't die now! I can't leave Sasuke behind!_' the thought of his baby brother, still so lost and scared after the death of their parents, renewed his determination and his eyes snapped open, burning fiercly as the water hit them.

But the burning grew worse and Itachi let out a muffled cough, losing the last of his air supplies as the pain became unbearable.

Suddenly, lights were flashing and he heard distance screams of the ghost, and as everything blurred around him he caught a glimpse of a white figure vanishing amidst flames of black.

'_There it is...again..._' was his last thought before he blacked out, lack of air and the pain pulling him under at last.

It seemed like only a few seconds to him when it must have been hours in the real world. Itachi slowly came back, disoriented and confused but alive. He heard noises, saw flashes through his eyelids and felt hands touching everywhere, checking his pulse, feeling for broken bones...

"Itachi? Yo, Itachi you awake?"

A groan was all he could emit in reply and with great effort he pulled his eyelids open. Hovering over him was Kakashi, his eyes shining with worry. As soon as the silver haired man saw he was awake, his face blossomed into relief.

"Oh thank Christ!" Kakashi breathed, his head hanging down slightly as he calmed his heart. "I was getting worried, Uchiha."

Itachi smirked weakly, wincing. "...Where am I?" He croaked out.

"The nurse office in the headquarters."

Itachi blinked; his eyes stinging slightly. "...How...when did I get here?"

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask, leaning back while Itachi shifted up slightly. "Well after you got dragged into the ocean by the ghost, and did something that finished that woman off and put her to rest, you floated back up to the surface where I was able to grab you since the pier had sunk rather far. Then I hauled you back to the car, high tailed it back here and got my friend to help me take care of you."

Itachi scowled at the words 'take care of' and looked around. "And who is this 'friend'?" he asked, smirking, "Last time I checked you didn't have many of those."

Kakashi placed a hand over his heart, faking hurt. "So cruel. But anyway I met him a while back at a job in the local aquarium. Possessed fish. Who knew?"

Itachi gave him an odd look, but before much could be said, the door opened and a man walked in. He had the oddest tinge to his skin, and Itachi couldn't help but feel reminded of a shark.

"Oh hey, you're awake!" the man grinned, sitting down next to him. "I'm Hoshigaki Kisame, nice to meet you." A hand was held out, and Itachi gingerly shook it.

"Uchiha Itachi."

"So...first real ghost hunting case?" Kisame asked, grinning and flashing rows of sharp teeth. Itachi stared at him for a moment before nodding slowly. Kisame laughed.

"Cool. I remember when I first experienced the supernatural I almost admitted myself to a mental institution. But luckily Kakashi over here convinced me I was not as insane as I thought."

Itachi turned to Kakashi, raising an eyebrow. Kakashi just shrugged.

"I have a few questions for you, Itachi, about how you dealt with the ghost," Kakashi began and Itachi groaned, rolling over and hiding his face in the pillow. Kisame chuckled at the action while Kakashi just smiled. "I guess I can leave it for now. In the meantime though..."

"**Case Closed."**

**I hope everyone liked the first installment of the Rei-Senzai X-Files!**

**Each chapter will be an individual case, and the characters that appear may vary, as well as the level of horror and such. Also, it's set in a timeline, even if they aren't directly after each other.**

**This one, in case you couldn't guess, was set when Itachi had just joined the crew and Sasuke wasn't a part of it yet. It is also the case where Itachi used his Sharingan for the 3rd time. So this is set before the first Rei-Senzai Inc, actually. ^_^**

**Hope you enjoyed and reviews would be lovely!**


	2. Strings Attached Part 1

**This was inspired, mainly, by the Dead Silence theme song and a bit from the movie. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto Characters. **

**Warnings: Language, Horror, Blood, Supernatural.**

**Characters: Sasori, Deidara, Kakashi, Kisame, Luka(OC-Brief)**

**Strings Attached Part 1.  
**

* * *

Matsumoto Yori sighed, running a hand through her coarse brown hair as she walked down the aisles in the small doll factory south of Konoha City. The light from her flashlight bounced off the many porcelain and plastics parts of the dolls that were still in the progress of being made. One thing about being a night guard at the toy factory was...

It was always mega creepy to do the rounds.

Yori absently played with the set of keys she carried, spinning them around and listening to the soft jingle they made as she made her way through the factory rooms. She was the only one there tonight, and she was bored out of her skull.

Humming a nonsense tune to herself, she was almost finished her round of the doll assembly room when something clattered to the floor behind her. Quick as a flash, she pulled out the baton and spun around, flashlight shining and arm held tight and ready to strike. Her amber eyes narrowed menacingly as she surveyed the area. A few doll parts, which had been resting on the table before, were now scattered across the floor. It looked like someone had bumped the table and knocked them off by accident, but she knew it hadn't been her.

"Who's there? You've got ten seconds to show yourself before I come looking and trust me that will not be pretty," she spat, her voice as menacing as her pose.

When no one had come out after ten seconds, she smirked. "Alright, we'll do this the fun way then," she called, making her way towards the end of the table. Her steps were quick and light and soon she was crouching near the end of the row. Taking a breath, she darted around the corner.

There was no one there.

Growling to herself, she looked around, still holding the baton tightly in case someone tried to jump out at her. She heard another clatter and quickly ran forwards, towards the next aisle where it had come from.

"GOTCHA!" she yelled, turning the corner and brandishing the baton like a sword. Her eyes widened as she watched a large rat scurry away in fear, knocking into the aisle and sending a few more doll parts to the floor. Her face fell while her arm lowered. "A damn rat? Seriously?"

She felt a little bit cheated.

Sighing at her luck, she straightened, spinning the baton twice before slipping it back into its holster on her belt. Resting her free hand on her hips, she glanced at the fallen parts before sighing and bending down to pick them up. Her OCD was already challenged by the fact that all the tables weren't organized, but she just couldn't stop herself from picking the things off of the floor. There was only so much mess she could deal with.

As she picked up the last piece, a glass eye, she held it up to her light. The green iris flashed as the light reflected off its glassy surface and she frowned.

"It's so creepy. And little girls sleep with these things?" she asked, shuddering at the very thought of it. She wasn't a fan of dolls, and had she the choice she'd be a night guard somewhere else, but this job was the only one she could get and she was not about to give it up without having a new one set already. Clicking her tongue at the weirdness of today's youth, she carefully placed the eye on the table, where it rolled and settled next to several of its counterparts.

She smacked her lips in boredom and looked around. A large box labelled 'Kobayashi Antiques' caught her eye and she raised a brow before making her way over. Peering into the large box, she blinked at what was inside.

"More dolls...but these look pretty old and valuable," she reached in, pulling out the closest doll. It was a girl with curly red hair and bright brown eyes, smiling with red painted lips and wearing a cute blue dress.

It was super creepy.

Yori frowned at the doll, before she placed her flashlight down and held the toy with both hands. Moving the arms, she put on a squeaky voice.

"I'm just a super weird doll! I have no brain and couldn't even get Ken to sleep with me!" she voiced before chuckling at her own stupidity. Smirking, she placed the doll back into the box. Her eyes travelled to the next doll, a raven haired boy wearing a fine suit with bright green eyes. They almost looked real with the detail inside of them. She picked him up, and noticed he had strings attached to his arms and legs.

"A puppet?" she questioned, holding the strings. Indeed it was, as she could make the little boy walk and waltz. Dolls were one thing but puppets were a whole new level of creepiness for her, and she quickly replaced the doll back in the box.

"I swear I need to start looking for a new job," she muttered, snatching her flashlight and turning away.

She took three steps before a loud crash had her snarling and spinning around. "Alright you damn rat I'll—" Her eyes widened, and the baton and flashlight fell from her hands as all the blood left her face. "Oh my God...N-no way..." She stumbled, back, breaths coming out in short pants.

"Get away...GET AWAY FROM ME!" she screamed.

The scream echoed into the dark factory before cutting off abruptly, leaving a deathly silence behind.

* * *

**The following files are records of the paranormal investigations carried out by the crew Rei-Senzai Incorporated. The events recorded in these files are all true and are in no way altered. **

**Investigation #2**

**Location:** Kiku&Miku Doll Factory.

* * *

Sasori was deep in concentration as he carefully tried to slip the miniscule joint of his newest project into place. The hole was so tiny he could barely see it, but so far so good. It was the last joint needed.

He was so close.

"BANG!"

Not a sound escaped the red head, but his entire body jerked in surprise. The puppet he had been holding clattered to the floor, and the tiny joint flew from his hands, vanishing from sight. A glare befitting of the angriest Uchiha set on his face as he turned to his so called 'friend' and employer.

"Kakashi you asshole!" he hissed, baring his teeth. Kakashi only laughed, jumping into the swivel chair and spinning around once.

"But you were just so deep in concentration. I couldn't resist!"

Sasori growled and began to search for the tiny joint. He knew it had gone somewhere by the couch and so he knelt down, peering under the object in the hopes to find it. Suddenly, the door behind him opened, the wooden slab smacking against his butt harshly and making him lurch forward. His head connected with the arm of the couch and he grunted, reaching up to grip his head in pain.

"Mother..." the curse went unfinished as another voice interrupted.

"Oh! Sasori, I'm so sorry, un!"

Sasori's eyes widened briefly at the voice, and his head snapped around. He was met with the familiar face of long blond hair, steel blue eyes and a concerned smile.

"D-deidara?" he stammered, unbelieving that the blond was here. The last time he'd seen him was back in high school before his grandmother moved them away to Suna for a few years.

Deidara grinned, eyes shining happily. "It's good to see you again, un! Kakashi told me you were working for him too."

Sasori did a double take. "Too? What do you mean _too_?" he asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"Oh, I'm also working for him, un!" Deidara pointed to himself proudly, his grin widened.

Sasori pursed his lips, sending a dark look to the innocently whistling silver haired menace. He straightened up, coming to his full height. A violent twitch developed in his jaw when he noticed he was still at least a whole head shorter than Deidara. Deidara seemed to notice his annoyance, and quickly got back on his knees so that he was shorter.

"There, now you're taller, un!"

Sasori had never been more mortified as Kakashi howled with laughter behind him.

After a few choice curses and fine hits on Kakashi, Sasori was sitting on the couch, holding his incomplete project and staring at the small joint hole, wondering where he could find a replacement since it was obvious the original was a lost cause. Deidara was sitting on his phone, texting someone eagerly and often showing Kakashi some of the messages. Judging by their faces, he guessed it had something to do with their so called 'work' and frankly he couldn't care less.

He was obviously annoyed with the blond, which was why he had been sneaking glances at him since he arrived.

Yes, that must be it.

"Ne, Sasori. What made you join the group, un?" Deidara suddenly asked, smiling at the red head. In honesty the blond had missed him since he left in high school. He'd always considered Sasori a great friend, even if the older boy had been a bit of a jerk. Deidara had seen that Sasori was just the type to act that way towards his friends. He was glad he could spend time with him again, even if the red head was still acting like a grumpy old man.

Sasori sent him an annoyed look. "Why does it matter?"

"Because I'm curious, un! I mean, I agreed because I want to help people!" Deidara beamed and Sasori felt his stomach twist.

Indigestion was annoying.

"Well good for you," Sasori said in a mocking tone, turning his attention back to his incomplete puppet.

Deidara frowned, about to ask again but Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder, leaning forward to whisper into the blond's ear.

"He joined because his grandma taught him an old family technique for ghost hunting. It's almost like a clan thing for them, and he feels devotion to her wishes, so he joined. Also, I pulled a few strings and got him into a nice college to help him with his theatre love and puppet shows. So he owes me."

Deidara made an understanding hum, sending a smile to the now snarling red head.

Before anything else could be said, Deidara's cell phone rang. He snatched it up, glanced at the caller I.D and his face lit up. Opening it, he pressed it to his ear.

"Luka!" he greeted as he bounced up and out of the room. "Good to hear from you!"

Kakashi and Sasori exchanged confused looks before shrugging to themselves and continuing. The phone rang and Kakashi answered it, leaving Sasori to think again.

"Rei-Senzai Inc, how may we help you?...Oh hi Itachi, what's up?" Kakashi leant back in his seat. "Sasuke's sick? Oh that's a shame. Will he be okay?...Sure...No sure I understand. Of course. Take as long as you need. Tell Sasu-chan I said hi!" Kakashi chuckled at the sarcastic reply he got and put down.

The door opened and Deidara came back in, his face now holding a serious air. "Kakashi, we've got a new job."

Both men in the room perked up, turning to look at the blond, who moved to sit on the couch.

"Oh? What is it and who is it from?" Kakashi asked, slipping into the seat beside the blond.

Sasori remained in his seat, but his attention was reverted to the two men.

"My old friend Luka works in the police station, and there was a strange incident at the Kiku&Miku Doll factory two nights ago. A night security guard, Matsumoto Yori, was attacked and strung from the ceiling. She survived, but had to be dismissed because apparently, she was insane...un."

Kakashi raised a brow, linking his hands together. "So in other words, she saw something supernatural, and no one believes her," he stated and Deidara nodded.

"Well everyone except Luka, since he knows about it through me, un."

Sasori looked up. "He?"

Deidara looked over, nodding. "Yeah Luka's a guy. My first boyfriend, actually, but that was a long time ago, un. He's quite the good cop though, and he handles all of the strange cases that have potential supernatural cases, hence why he called me. He knows that the other cops won't listen to the victim's 'crazy talk' so they won't be able to help. But we can, un."

Sasori frowned, turning his attention back to his puppet. His hands were fiddling with the arm a bit roughly. "Well, Luka's just so awesome then isn't he?" he muttered, his tone harsh. He didn't understand why he was so angry and decided not to dwell on it, especially with Kakashi's smug face directed at him.

That couldn't be good.

Deidara blinked slowly, looking a bit confused. He jumped when Sasori cursed loudly, pulling his thumb up to suck on the digit angrily. Slowly creeping towards the fuming red head, Deidara bent down and looked at Sasori's hands as the man pulled his thumb away. A large cut, caused by a rather painful looking splinter, was oozing bright red blood down Sasori's finger.

Deidara hummed sympathetically, reaching out and grabbing the digit gently. He put it into his own mouth and sucked firmly, removing the blood before he took the thumb and wiped it gently. Looking up, he saw Sasori staring at him in pure shock, his eyes wide and his mouth gaping. Deidara smiled.

"You're not usually so reckless, un. Please be careful."

With that, the blond smiled happily.

Sasori took a deep breath, his face slowly gaining colour until...

"DEIDARA!" The blond found himself getting whacked over the head repeatedly with one of the couch cushions.

* * *

Kotonaha Luka turned out to be a very slim, very short man. He was waiting outside the large doll factory, tapping his baton against his hand in a rhythm while his shaggy black hair shifted in the wind. His ears caught the sound of an engine and he turned in time to see a large white van pull up.

As the door opened, he grinned at seeing a familiar blond step out.

"Dei! Over here!" he called, and Deidara ran up to meet him.

"Luka! Hey, good to see you, un."

Luka laughed even as three other men walked up to them. "You're still saying 'un' all the time?"

Deidara pouted, opening his mouth to retort when there was an irritated cough behind them.

"Forgive me for interrupting this tea party, but we don't have all day," Sasori snapped, his arms crossed. He was staring at the policeman, almost growling when he noticed they were the same height.

Luka blinked, smiling sheepishly. "Right, sorry. Anyway, let's go in. The rest of the team has already left. I've been left as a watchmen," he began, leading them up the hill. Deidara walked ahead with him while Sasori, Kakashi and Kisame brought up the rear. The blue-loving man was carrying most of the equipment while Kakashi fiddled with a small EMF detector.

"Matsumoto-san was really distressed when we found her. She had been strung from the ceiling for hours, and the ropes had begun to cut into her. She was bleeding pretty damn badly."

"How did she claim to have gotten there?" Kakashi asked, glancing up from his device as the screen flashed on.

"That's the thing. She was in such a wreck, hardly anyone could make any sense. All we could clearly make out was 'demons' and 'monsters'. We asked who attacked, and she just started pointing at a bunch of dolls. The medics assumed she was in shock and hallucinating, but even after she was treated she insisted that it wasn't a human that attacked her, and no animal is smart enough to string someone up like that," Luka continued, pulling out a set of keys to unlock the small side door to the factory.

As the small group stepped into the factory, a rush of chilled air met them.

Sasori blanched, wrapping his arms around himself as a shudder wracked his frame. Beside him, the small device in Kakashi's hand lit up like a carnival, making a high pitched screech. Sasori shuddered even worse, eyes glued to the ground.

'_This...this feeling...it's so strong...What's in this place?_' he wondered.

A hand on his shoulder made him look at Kakashi, who was switching off his device.

"Kisame, we're going to need attach-cameras. Set up monitors in the van. Then you and Luka will stay outside and keep a watch form the monitors. Sasori, Deidara and I will proceed and find whatever this thing is. It's strong and it's dangerous however..." Kakashi glanced to both his friends.

Deidara only nodded resolutely and Sasori blankly stared at him, his own way of saying 'I won't back out asshole'.

Kisame nodded, pulling out the desired devices and quickly attaching them to the three staying. Once he was finished, he motioned for Luka to follow him, and the two left, heading for the van.

Kakashi turned to the other two. "We have about two hours until sunset...And we all know that spirits prefer the night. Let's try and get as much done before then as we can."

The other two nodded, and slowly they split apart to explore the factory and stop whatever was terrorising the place.

* * *

Sasori walked slowly through the aisles of doll parts, his eyes lazily tracing over the pieces of porcelain and plastic that lined the sides. He kept his ears open for any unusual sounds, and even sniffed the air frequently to check for odd odours, like sulphur or something of the like.

The sun had already begun its slow descent behind the horizon, casting long shadows through the large factory windows. Sasori was bathed in the late evening glow, his shadow stretching out before him and preceding his steps. As he reached the end of one aisle, his eyes caught sight of something on the floor.

He stepped forwards and knelt down, looking at the dark substance. Cautiously, he reached down and dipped a finger in before bringing it to his nose. Sniffing once, he raised an eyebrow before poking out his tongue for a hesitant lick.

Tasting the substance, he frowned and looked around.

"Blood mixed with grease..." he murmured, looking towards the ceiling. "I guess this is where she was strung up...the police must have taken the ropes in as evidence."

He straightened up, the sunlight streaming around him. As he reached his full height, he groaned and placed a hand to his head. In his mind, he saw flashes of memory from a time long since passed...a time he'd hoped to forget forever.

His mother and father, eyes wide and empty, hanging from the ceiling, blood dripping everywhere...even onto him.

"Fuck!" he gasped, hitting himself across the face before sucking in a breath. "Don't think about that now..." he hissed and purposefully strode forwards, trying to rid himself of images of glassy green eyes and a jacket stained with blood.

He turned a corner, seeing more doll parts and other items but nothing out of the ordinary for a doll factory. As he was passing by, he saw a box that had tipped over, spilling dolls over the floor. He could immediately tell that these dolls were precious antiques, and he quickly walked over, reaching down to start picking them up and placing them in the box. As he fixed said box, he saw the name printed across in a curly black font.

"Kobayashi Antiques?" he read aloud, his brow furrowing. "...Where have I heard that name before?"

A sudden crackling in his ear startled him out of his thought, and he heard Deidara's voice come through the small radios attached to their camera's.

"I found something odd in the sewing section, un. I'm not sure what to make of it."

"What is it?" Kakashi's voice asked.

Sasori focused on the conversation, still looking at the box before him. The light was fading fast around him as he peered into the box. He saw a pretty girl doll with curly hair and brown eyes, as well as another girl doll with red hair. In fact, there were a lot of dolls, but they were all girls. He wondered why he had expected there to be a male doll.

"Well, there's this doll on the floor, and they're wearing this really torn up dress. Also, there's a bunch of...parts scattered around it. And it looks like something's smeared over the doll's stomach, un."

The sunlight was waning rapidly as Sasori suddenly jerked back from the box, his eyes growing wide as he finally rememebered where he'd seen that name before.

"GET OUT! WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF THE BUILDING BEFORE THE SUN GOES DOWN!" He yelled, undoubtedly scaring the shit out of his comrades but they needed to hurry. Sasori was already running away, the box of dolls having tipped over in his haste.

"What's going on Sasori?" Kakashi demanded, his breath coming in pants through the speakers. Undoubtedly he was running for the exit even as he spoke. They all knew that if someone yelled for you to get the fuck out, _you got the fuck out_.

"I don't know how, but this factory got a hold of a doll that was possessed by a very powerful, very vicious spirit. This thing loves stringing people up and letting them bleed out before trapping their damn souls into dolls..."

Kakashi skidded to a stop right outside the factory, having been the closest to the exit. "Sasori...you don't mean..." he asked, horrified.

Sasori nodded, still sprinting through the seemingly endless aisles. "It's the Kobayashi Carnage all over again..." he panted.

In another section, Deidara continued to run, turning through shelves and shelves seeing as he was in one of the storage areas. "W-what's the Kobayashi Carnage?" he asked breathily, still running.

Kakashi was standing outside, chest heaving. "It was a huge massacre that happened about fourteen years ago at the Kobayashi Family Doll Shop. One of the workers was into the occult, and ended up summoning the spirit of a sick and twisted serial killer who died a while back. The spirit was put into one of the families dolls, and then a few days later, most of the work-force and three of the Kobayashi family members themselves were found dead. They were strung to the ceiling by thin metal ropes, having bled to death." He slammed his head against the wall angrily. "How could I have missed the connection!" he roared, hitting his head again.

Sasori kept running, finally catching sight of the door. He heard hurried steps and turned his head to see Deidara approaching the door too. The blond saw him, nodding and the two of them began to sprint down the final aisle, side by side.

The sunlight was fading fast, shadows seeming to chase them as everything sank into darkness. The door was standing open from when Kakashi had run out and Deidara grinned as he ran.

"We're out of here, un!" he puffed, and Sasori just urged his legs to move faster.

A loud, metallic screech sounded, and Sasori's head whipped to the right in time to see something silver slicing towards him.

"GET DOWN!" he roared, knocking Deidara away towards the door and the floor.

The blond cried out as he skidded, but he turned his head in time to see Sasori literally whipped off his feet, a metal wire wrapping around his torso and yanking him back into the dark hallway and out of sight. A thin trail of red droplets followed the vanished red head's path.

Deidara's eyes widened, and he sat up. "SASORI!"

The last of the sunlight faded, and the door to the factory slammed shut of its own accord, leaving the blond man sitting in darkness, voice still echoing down the hall.

* * *

**Look forward to Part 2! :D**

**Reviews asseblief? (that means please, in case you didn't know ;D)  
**


	3. Strings Attached Part 2

**Warnings and Disclaimer: Language, supernatural, horror, hints at shounen-ai. I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**Sasori, Deidara, Kakashi, Kisame, Luka** **(OC), Hidan.  
**

**Strings Attached Part 2**

* * *

Sasori gritted his teeth harshly as his eyes slowly pulled open until they were slits. His breathing was constricted harshly, short pants of air all he was able to take in and let out. With a pained hiss of breath, he tilted his head enough to try and see exactly why his body felt the way it did.

With a jerk, he realized he was hanging high up in the air from the ceiling. A quick jerk of his limbs proved that he had been strung up, just like the night guard. The thin wires were slicing into his skin, droplets of blood running down them and dripping into the darkness below. He tried to breathe again, but a wire around his chest, wrapped so tightly it cut into his skin through his clothes was keeping him from taking a large breath to replenish his lacking oxygen supplies.

He was too nervous to move. The wires were thin. If they snapped, and he fell from this height, his chances of survival were next to none. He may be light, but he was still human...unfortunately.

'_Okay, okay think...relax and just think..._' he thought, closing his eyes and concentrating on what he could feel, hear and smell.

His nose caught the scent of the substance he'd found on the floor earlier. Blood and grease.

'_Obviously, it's already set up the doll my soul is supposed to go into,_' he thought, his brows furrowing in annoyance. '_But in order for my soul to go into the doll, I need to be dead, and it needs to have the right symbols written out in blood..._' he shifted his body again, feeling the cuts all over his body. '_I haven't bled out enough for it to finish all the symbols yet._'

He trained his ears for any sounds, and somewhere far below he caught the sound of material shifting. It sounded like a suit jacket. The _doll_ attacking him was wearing a _suit_?

'_It cannot sound any more pathetic than that..._' he thought glumly. Slowly, he began to jerk his legs slightly, hoping to determine how far he was from the wall. If only he had some light, he could just-

As if summoned by his wishes, a flame erupted somewhere in the darkness before it hurtled towards the area right below him. Sasori looked down and saw something small scurrying away from the flames, and guessed it was the demonic doll. The light revealed a doll with short red hair lying in the middle of a half formed symbolic circle. The doll caught fire and began to burn, creating even more light.

Footsteps sounded, and Sasori once again looked towards the sound until the person was illuminated by the flickering light.

"D-Deidara!" he said, shocked. "I thought you got outside!"

"No, the doors closed. Besides..." Deidara looked up at him, eyes glowing in the dim light. "I couldn't leave you behind, un."

Sasori turned away, hoping the flames would hide the slight discolouration on his face. "Stupid..." he mumbled, glaring at nothing. "Just get me down!"

Deidara nodded and rushed to the small metal beam that led up to the roof. Carefully, he began to climb, grunting every now and then when a hold seemed difficult to find. Sasori watched his progress carefully, sometimes calling out when the blonds' foothold was about to slip.

Finally, Deidara reached the same level as him and careful started to inspect the wires. After a moment, he sighed.

"Sasori, the only way to do this is to cut the second string. Chances are most of the others will break, and they will cut you a bit. But the main string will remain intact and swing you towards me, un." Deidara looked over at him, worry in his eyes. "...Will you trust me enough to do that, un?"

Sasori bit his cheek, examining the blond before him carefully. Could he put that much trust into someone? He'd never put his life in another's hands. Not since _that_ time...

He remembered all the times in high school, where Deidara was constantly annoying him and calling him his best friend. He'd always found the guy to be annoying, blunt, often too brash in his actions.

Slowly, Sasori found himself nodding. "...I trust you."

Deidara smiled, and Sasori felt that what he'd just said did, in fact, hold some truth.

Carefully, Deidara began to cut through the wire with a small knife he'd acquired from somewhere in his many pockets. Sasori braced himself for the pain as well as the free fall. After a few more seconds, the tell-tale 'twang' of the wire snapping met his ears, followed by an echoed chorus of similar sounds as most of the thinner wires snapped. His wrists, elbows, ankles...hell, all of his limbs stung as wires sliced across them, blood splattering out in several directions before suddenly, he was falling.

Had he been anyone else, he may have screamed in fear at the free fall. Instead, he bit his lip so hard it bled, droplets raining through the air from the various cuts on his body. Just as he plummeted lower, he reached down to grab a hold of the thickest wire still wrapped around his stomach so as to stop it from cutting him clean in half when it recoiled. Sure enough, he felt it tighten, and his hands took some abuse, blood running out. He felt himself begin to fly back up as the wire fully recoiled.

However, during that moment, he let out a yell. Going down had been nerve wracking enough, but going up? It was like gravity vanished and it felt so strange. Sasori hated it, that weightless feeling as he floated higher. He was beginning to feel sick from the sensation. Before he could fully surrender to the feeling, a solid arm was wrapping around his torso and dragging him back to a source of land. Reaching out, he grabbed onto the beam and got himself seated onto it, panting for breath through the pain and the lingering feeling of weightlessness.

"Are you alright, un?" Deidara asked, genuine concern in his voice. Sasori took a deep breath and nodded slowly.

"...Yeah..."

Deidara looked very relieved and slowly, carefully bent down slightly to start cutting at the remaining wire. While the blond cautiously worked, keeping one hand on a hold so he wouldn't fall, Sasori kept his eyes peeled. The fire below was still burning, but not as bright since most of the doll was nothing more than melted plastic by now. Luckily, there wasn't anything very flammable nearby, so the chances of a large-scale fire were minimal. But even so, he'd feel better knowing the fire was out and the only light was something he could have absolute control over.

Finally, Deidara let out a triumphant sound as the wire fell away and Sasori could breathe again. Slowly, carefully, they climbed their way down until the ground met their feet with a smile. Sasori took a moment to lean against the wall. His body ached, and some of the cuts were deeper than he'd first anticipated, blood continuously leaking out.

"Shit!" he hissed, sliding down to his backside. One of the deeper cuts was behind his knee, and it hurt like hell. He wasn't sure how to stop the blood flow, but he knew he'd better come up with something soon. He was beginning to feel a bit lightheaded.

"Sasori!" Deidara knelt down beside him, checking over the wounds with what little light he could get. "Hang on, I can help, un!" he said, reaching around. Sasori almost yelped when Deidara suddenly tore his pant leg apart from the bottom to mid thigh. He knew his face was red as the other man started to form a bandage from the now torn piece of material. He could feel Deidara's fingers near his inner thigh and it was making him very uncomfortable. Luckily, soon the man withdrew.

"There. It should feel better now, un."

Sasori shifted his leg, glad to find that it did indeed feel much better. With a nod of appreciation, the two stood up.

"So, how are we going to deal with this problem, un?" Deidara asked slowly. Sasori hummed.

"Communication with the outside will have been cut off. We're basically trapped in here until sunrise. This thing won't just sit around though. It's going to keep coming at us. And just because it's in the body of a doll doesn't mean it'll be easy to fend off. It's got massive spiritual energy, and can control things with it. Not to mention, there's probably a few souls trapped into some dolls from the Kobayashi Carnage that are here...those will be like minions to that son of a bitch," he said, already taking a few shaky steps down the darkened hall. The fire had finally died down, leaving them in darkness but for the faint silver light of the moon shining through the large windows.

Deidara stayed close, overshadowing Sasori as they crept down the hall. Sasori kept whispering, almost seeming to debate with himself on the best ways to proceed. Deidara only listened attentively, never interrupting but letting the smaller male do his work.

"To destroy this...it'll take a powerful chant. The type that includes holy water and a ritual circle. But we don't have any of that...nor do we have any way to get it," Sasori turned, Deidara making sure to keep an eye out as they walked, "What other ways are there to destroy such a powerful spirit?...Cleansing...Psychic Eyes...Voodoo..." Suddenly he came to a stop, tapping his fist against his palm. "Disassembling! That's how we can stop it, at least until we get some proper tools."

They were in one of the storage areas, and Sasori quickly reached back, grabbing Deidara's hand and pulling him to the side. He swung the blond around until they were facing each other and began to speak in low tones.

"Okay listen, what we need to do is set a type of trap for it, get it still long enough for me to disassemble it. If we can manage that, the spirit will take a long time to reconnect the whole body, and by then the sun will rise and it'll be locked away until sunset. We can do the real ritual during the day."

Deidara nodded in agreement. "How do we set a trap, un?"

Sasori smirked, looking quite sinister in the dark. "I have an idea. Listen well, Kouhai."

Deidara smiled at the old term from when they were back in high-school together. "Yes, Danna."

* * *

The moon hung high in the inky black sky littered with small, bright stars that glittered against the night like diamonds on a sheet of black velvet. A whisper of wind caused the trees to shiver, blossoms becoming dislodged from their holds and floating to the ground like small vessels of colour.

The night was beautiful, and many people would cherish a night like this for its calming effects and peaceful reprieve.

Kakashi was not one of this people.

He was standing at the front door to the Kiku&Miku Doll Factory, a crowbar in hand. Behind him, Officer Luka was holding up his flashlight to the door and standing a bit aways, next to the large white van parked nearby, Kisame watched with tense shoulders.

Kakashi grunted as he tried to pry the door open with the crowbar, but the bloody thing wouldn't budge. He'd been doing this since the door had slammed shut, but he wouldn't give up.

Two of his boys were locked in that place with a psychotic spirit after their blood. Kakashi would slice his own leg off if it meant his friends would get out of there in one, unharmed, piece.

"Dammit..." Kisame muttered angrily, his eyes looking at the monitors. The screens were dark, since there was no light in the actual factory and the night vision hadn't been activated. They had no idea what was happening in that building. "You dipshits had better be alright..."

Kakashi grunted, his muscles going slack after having strained for so long. He collapsed against the door, panting heavily. Luka was beside him in a moment, keeping a strong hand on his shoulder. The fluttering wind caused his shaggy hair to sway into his face, and he brushed it aside with an irritated sniff.

"They'll be fine!" he said, his voice filled with certainty. "I know Deidara. No matter how childish he acts, he's not one to be messed with. And from what I can tell just by looking, that Sasori character won't go down without taking everything within a hundred meter radius with him."

Kakashi gave a weak smile behind his mask. "I know...but even so, they're my employees and my friends. I'm not giving up until they're standing beside me, drowning in the sexual tension between them." And with that, Kakashi resumed his attempts to pry the door open while Luka stood nearby, holding up his flashlight and smirking at the man's last sentence.

* * *

Sasori, sat on the small stool in the middle of the room, the small light from a candle lighting up his face. His eyes were blank as he stared at the flickering light, his hands clasped around it. The darkness was pressing around him and he took a breath, the flame leaning towards his mouth.

"_Claw of the dark, reach for my heart, shatter the spines of lies,_" he began to sing, the melody soft and flowing. His eyes closed in concentration and in remembrance as he recalled the song he had tried to forget, as it reminded him too much of a time he so wished he could reverse.

"_Raindrops of fear, embrace my tears, bring forth the shadow that lies over mine._

_As darkness descends, as the sunlit rays end, bring back the one that stole my life._

_Claw of the dark, take hold of my soul, tear away the sorrow inside,_

_Rivers of blood, in the meadows of pain,_

_He who has sinned cannot hide._

_Bring forth the monster that lives in the lies,_

_Keep hold of my body, hold open my eyes,_

_So that I may know with my fragile soul,_

_He who has sinned cannot hide."_

A soft tapping met his ears, yet his eyes remained closed, the candle flame cradled in his hands flickering as the air around him grew colder. Out of the darkness surrounding him, a new voice sang out, this one sounding like a young child, yet taunting, mocking..._evil_.

"_Lost little lamb, in the pack of the wolves,_

_Why do you cry?_

_Innocent lamb, so young and so tender,_

_Tell me, why do you cry?_

_Have you lost your dear mother? Was she eaten away?_

_Has your father been slaughtered by the light of the day?_

_Are your brothers, and sisters, nowhere to be seen?_

_Tell me, my lamb, why do you scream?_"

Slowly, Sasori's eyes slipped open, revealing the burning fire of hatred within. The flame in his hands seemed to grow bigger, burning brighter.

"Just as I thought...it really was you..." he whispered, and the tapping came to a stop, somewhere close behind him.

"_It is impressive that you are able to withstand being in my presence without trembling in fear, child._"

Sasori slowly turned around on the stool and looked at the one that had spoken.

A doll, no bigger than his leg from the calf down, stood a little ways away. Vivid green eyes shone demonically in the light, and the raven hair of the doll was continuously fluttering as if it was caught in a gentle breeze. It was wearing a nice suit, but stains of blood could be seen on the dark material even in this dim light.

Sasori noticed strings trailing from the dolls back, and glared at the doll...at the puppet. For that's what it truly was, not only in design, but in existence. The spirit had not taken the form of a doll, but rather, had simply locked itself inside the puppet and used it for its deeds.

"The reason I am not afraid of you...is because I have already trembled in your presence once...and I vowed never to do it again," Sasori breathed, hidden venom lacing the words.

The puppet cocked its head to the side, eyes never blinking and painted smile never leaving its porcelain-like face.

"_You have seen me before?...Ah,_" the sound was one of recognition, "_Now I remember you, little red-haired human. Yes, indeed I remember you well._"

Sasori was barely suppressing a snarl, glaring at the doll as it let out a mocking laugh, sounding more like the devil child it resembled. Suddenly, those bright green eyes flashed.

"_Tell me, little boy...How are mommy and daddy doing?_"

Sasori visibly had to stop himself from moving off the stool. His muscles strained, his lips pulled back to show how hard he was gritting his teeth and his eyes blazed. The doll let out a long, taunting laugh.

"_Oh wait, that's right...they're already dead._" And the doll let out an even more delighted laugh, the sound high pitched and psychotic.

"You damn demon..." Sasori growled, body twitching with the desire to burn the doll in front of him and watch it scream in pain, but he knew he couldn't. He couldn't do it yet. Not yet.

"_Oh what's the matter child? Do you miss mommy? Do you want daddy to give you a hug? Oh well, too bad they're not here to do that then. After all, it would've been hard for them after I strung up their bodies and sealed their pathetic souls into the dolls._"

Sasori moved an inch on the chair, only just having restrained himself.

"Shut up, you wretched demon. You won't be hurting anyone ever again after tonight."

The doll seemed to find this even more amusing, if the new bout of laughter was anything to go by. Suddenly the doll stopped, taking a step forward.

"_You certainly have changed since I last saw you, little boy. I remember that time well now, oh yes, yes indeed. Mommy and Daddy were working, just like everyone else. They'd brought you along that night, and you were sitting quietly in the corner, playing with your toys like a good little soldier._

_Then, I struck just when the night truly fell. Everyone was screaming, so confused and scared, but not your daddy. No, no, he knew exactly what was happening the moment he saw me. The foolish man thought he could save everyone, so I strung him up first. Then I did everyone else, saving your mommy for last. She was holding you tightly, trying to shield you from me..."_

"Stop."

"_But she couldn't shield you for long. It was so easy to drag her body away from you, kicking and screaming all the way until she was hanging upside down and bleeding all over the floor...all over you."_

The grip on the candle in his hand was starting to sting, and his eyes were burning darker and darker. "I said _stop_, you fucking whore of hell."

"_And then there was you...the last little human left on the ground. I was looking forward to stringing you up, right beside your parents. But when I tried, I couldn't. Seems like mommy wasn't just holding you after all. She put that blasted protection doll around your neck to stop me from touching you. Then daylight came, and I had to leave you alone. But I have to say...it was most pleasing to watch you cry your eyes out while your parents bled to death and covered you in their own blood."_

It was the sudden sound of a sigh to his right that stopped Sasori from jumping onto the wretched doll and trying to gut it. After all, as mocking and tiny as the thing was, if he moved, the spirit energy he was focusing around his body would dissipate and the spirit would be able to fling him about the room like a rag doll with its own energy which was far greater than his own. As soon as Sasori heard the sigh, he forced himself to calm down and went blank faced.

"I have something to tell you, spirit," he said softly. The doll cocked its head.

"_What could a child like you have to tell me?_"

"It's something you don't know about what happened that night."

The doll took a step forward. "_And what would that be?_"

Sasori smirked, eyes gleaming evilly. "That night, you created your worst enemy."

Sasori let the candle fall from his hand just as a loud 'twang' echoed in the room. The flame landed on the floor, and suddenly trails of fire were spreading across the floor, creating a ring of low flames that lit the room even more. In the firelight, gleams of light reflected off of metal wires that were whizzing through the air, snapping tightly against the doll and swinging it up off the ground. The spirit let out a roar, and the surrounding area rattled under the immense wave of spiritual energy. However, the flaming circle wasn't yet completed, with more trails crossing until a strange symbol was formed in the burning trails.

Sasori pushed the stool away even as the doll struggled against the restraints in mid air, the gleaming wires cutting against the suit. The red head's face was calm, even delighted as he sauntered towards the doll, being weary of the flaming circle.

"Good job, Deidara. It worked perfectly," Sasori called out, and from the right, Deidara slowly emerged from the darkness. His face was tight as he glared at the doll, and the blond stood next to the smaller male, crossing his arms.

"Danna..." he said softly, and Sasori looked at him out of the corner of his eyes. Deidara's eyes were cold and steely as he stared at the struggling puppet, and a cruel smirk tilted the corners of his lips.

"Start from the bottom, un."

Sasori's lips twisted wickedly as he held up his right hand. The tips of his fingers began to glow as he concentrated, and slowly, the glow turned to an electric blue. Threads made of the same colour began to extend from the glow, stretching and weaving towards the trapped puppet. The doll screamed as each spirit-energy thread connected with different parts of its body.

"_How can this be?"_

"This circle is a nifty little charm I learned from my old friend Hidan. It's an easy to make and effective circle for trapping and compressing spiritual energy. Even a creature like you will fall under its effects. Sadly, they do not last long, only until the flames die out. But it gives me enough time to do this."

Sasori twitched one finger, and the left leg of the puppet tore slightly, the spirit screaming out again.

Slowly, cruelly, Sasori moved each finger on his hand in different directions, painfully tearing off the limbs of the doll and revelling in the spirits screaming. Deidara stayed beside him the entire time, arms folded and eyes watching with fascination and triumph as the doll was disassembled.

Finally, the head was all that was left attached to the torso. Sasori let his hand curl inwards, the thread tips coming together to form one thick thread leading to the doll head. The spirit was spitting out profanities, roaring out ancient curses that had no effect in the circle.

The head of the doll began to tilt as Sasori slowly drew his hand towards his chest, watching as the spirit screamed more and more. Suddenly, he yanked harshly, teeth bared and eyes glaring and the doll's head was ripped clean off, the glowing thread expanding and brightening briefly. An echoing scream rang out into the darkness of the warehouse while a grey, smoky substance leaked out of the doll's body, dissipating into the air.

Deidara sucked in a breath as he watched the smoke vanish. "...Wow...That demon had a lot of energy if it was visible to the naked eye, un," he commented, almost bemusedly.

Sasori nodded, the glowing threads fading slowly as he uncurled his fingers and let his hand fall to his side.

A deep sigh escaped him as he bent down and picked up the head, looking blankly into the now dulled green eyes.

"It's not over yet. We'll get Hidan to come by tomorrow, and he'll be able to send this cock-sucker to a place he can't ever return from," he said tiredly. The night was taking its toll on him.

Deidara nodded, blinking when he felt something lean against his side. Looking down, he gaped at seeing Sasori practically hanging off his arm, the red head's eyes glazed and bags easily visible. A yawn sounded and Deidara quickly wrapped his arms around the smaller male as Sasori literally passed out from exhaustion.

The blond blinked down at him before a smile wormed onto his face.

"You over exerted yourself with that last pull. Danna...you really haven't changed at all, un."

* * *

Sasori sighed as he looked down at the small puppet in his hand. It was a day since his night at the doll factory, and he still hadn't found a replacement joint. He was starting to think that he'd never finish this project.

As promised, Hidan had come to the factory the morning after once Deidara and Sasori had gotten out of the building, much to the other's relief.

Hidan had effectively and ruthlessly dealt with the spirit –"DIE MOTHERFUCKER DIE!"- before saluting and making his way home after receiving some payment from Kakashi, of course.

The door to the office opened and Deidara walked in, running a hand through his hair as he talked on his cell phone. He sent a smile to Sasori, who just gave a half-hearted wave in return.

"Un...Un...No, it was really no problem. Yeah...It was great seeing you too. Bye Luka! See you again soon, un!"

Sasori stiffened slightly before forcing himself to relax. He kept his eyes trained on the puppet, not wanting to see the sappy grin undoubtedly on the blonds' face. Although, why that would bother him, he still wasn't sure.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over him, and he glanced up. Sure enough, Deidara stood over him, a large grin on his face.

"Hey, Sasori no Danna...I got you something, un," the blond said in a sing song voice. Sasori sighed, rubbing his face with his hand.

"Deidara, if it's anything pink, shaped like a star, or made of fluffy shit, I'm not interes—" he was cut off as a box was placed into his hands, the lid open. He stared down at the contents...it was the joint he needed for his project.

He turned wide eyes to Deidara, who just laughed at his expression. "I asked an old friend to get it for me, since she works at the factory that makes them. I hope it fits alright, un."

Sasori slowly took the joint out, and picked up his unfinished puppet. Slowly, he moved the joint towards its designated area, Deidara watching him carefully.

The joint slid into place with a satisfying click, and the puppet was finished.

Sasori stared at it before a small smile curved his face. "Well...maybe you're not so useless after all."

Deidara only laughed.

* * *

**Reviews would be awesome! ^_^  
**


	4. Phantom Hitchhiker Part 1

**:D 4th Case in the RS X-Files series! It's another 2 part one. Hopefully you won't have to wait too long for the next half!**

**Warnings: Language, Supernatural, Horror**

**Characters: Kakashi, Neji, Shino,**

**Phantom Hitchhiker Part 1  
**

* * *

Takahiro Akiko narrowed his eyes against the soft mist that had blanketed the highway when night fell. He had his brightest lights on, and yet still he struggled to see far ahead in the mist. It annoyed him beyond belief, and he angrily sat back in his seat, keeping only one hand on the wheel while he used the other to fiddle with his radio. The light flickered in the screen while some popular song started to play and he rolled his eyes at the lyrics-something about broken youth- and mumbled a soft 'stupid' under his breath.

He entered a new stretch of road, this one lined with forests and fields, and he slid down further in his seat. Casually, he glanced out the window. Someone was standing at the edge of the forest in the mist, watching him as he passed. He sat up immediately, looking back several times but he couldn't see anyone. It was as if the figure had vanished.

His brows furrowed in confusion as he stared back at the road behind him, and he wondered if he was seeing things in the mist. He turned his attention back to the front only to yell and slam on the brakes. His car screeched as it came to a stop, the front bumper barely missing the legs of a person standing in the middle of the road.

Gripping the steering wheel with a white-knuckle hold, Akiko panted for breath as he stared at the person before his car. They were wearing a thick white overcoat with a large hood that covered most of their face, and a single rucksack hung off one of their shoulders. Akiko stared at them for a moment before winding down his window and poking his head out.

"Oi! Are you mad? What do you think you're doing standing in the middle of the road?" he yelled; anger laced his voice. When the person didn't move, he growled and revved his engine.

"Get out the way!" he ordered, waving his hand to indicate. The person only stood there, shadowed face staring in his direction. He couldn't even make out their eyes.

"Are you deaf as well as stupid?" he snapped. "I said: Get out of the fucking way!" He emphasised his statement by revving his engine again, and this time he allowed his car to move forward an inch. By all rights, he should've been tapping the person's knees.

Slowly, as if only now registering his command, the person moved towards the side. Akiko watched them go, blinking momentarily to clear his vision. Funny, he could've sworn the person just flickered!

'_Bloody mist playing tricks on me!_' he thought in agitation, and waited for the person to get out of the way. He revved again, moving forward enough to look at the person out his window without having to lean out.

"You better watch your ass, you hear me? Next person probably won't see you with that white coat! You're likely to get yourself splattered over the high-way, you stupid turd!" he warned, before driving off. In his rear-view mirror he saw them stare after him as he drove before they were completely engulfed by the mist.

He shook his head, turning his attention back to the road. He frowned when he realized that his radio had stopped playing at some point. Reaching over, he fiddled with the buttons, trying to turn it on but it refused. Checking the road-which was completely deserted- he looked down at the radio and mashed the buttons angrily. The light flickered briefly and a load of static erupted out of his radio. He cursed in fury, fingers slamming against the buttons.

"Stupid piece of-" his eyes glanced up as he spoke, and he caught sight of his mirror.

The white-coated figure was sitting in his backseat.

"What the-" his head whipped around, fear colouring his voice but before he could say a word more there was a tremendous crash, followed by the sounds of glass shattering, metal splintering...and the sickening squelch of blood splattering.

* * *

Kakashi let his eyes roam over the top of the sheet of paper in his hand. He stared at the boy before him speculatively, humming softly to himself. Sitting before him was a person he had never expected to see, especially not in the circumstances they were in.

"So...let me see if I got this correct," he started slowly, gently slipping the job application form onto the table. "...You wish to join my company?"

"Yes sir," the boy said, bowing his head. The sleek curtain of brown hair slid over his shoulders as he did so, and he brushed it back when he looked up. "That is my wish."

Kakashi glanced over to his colleagues. Itachi looked bored, head resting against his hand while he examined the other papers. Kisame made eye contact with him before he shrugged lightly, offering a weak smile.

Kakashi pursed his lips behind his mask before he scooted closer.

"Well, that's all well and good but...I have to ask; why would a Hyuuga want to join this company? After all, do you not have a family business similar to ours?" he asked, tilting his head in curiosity.

The young Hyuuga boy sitting in front of him stiffened slightly, eyes flickering to the right.

"Yes, the Hyuuga family does work with the paranormal. However I feel it is necessary for me to branch out from the family and help other organizations with my...skills in the field" he said slowly and it was obvious he was choosing his words very carefully.

Kakashi sat back, observing the boy from the corner of his eyes as he thought. Several things were obvious to him; simply by looking at the boy and listening to him speak. He could see that the Hyuuga was hesitant about being here, but at the same time almost desperate. And he could tell that his explanation of wanting the job was, to put it kindly, complete bullshit. Whatever reason the boy had decided to apply, he was keeping it private because either he was ashamed of it, or he felt it would jeopardize his chances of getting the job.

He narrowed his eyes, glancing at the application form before him.

"Sorry, Neji-kun, but I don't think you'd be suitable for this job," he said and tossed the form into the trash.

Wide, pale grey eyes stared at him in shock.

"Excuse me?" Neji gasped, looking absolutely gobsmacked that he hadn't been accepted. "Do you know who I am?" he added angrily.

"Hyuuga Neji, son of the sadly deceased Hyuuga Hizashi, nephew of Hyuuga Hiashi-sama. You are a member of a well known family of psychics, whose talents have been proven and positively accepted in the city. Your family, while not actively being a call-and-cure paranormal agency, do indeed take on requests that they deem urgent or real. A prestigious family indeed, the Hyuuga's are wealthy and powerful, and as such all its members have a type of influence in many areas of society. Except here," he concluded with a smug smirk behind his mask.

Neji sank back into his seat, fists clenched tightly while he glared at Kakashi.

"So why am I not suitable for this job?" he asked through gritted teeth. Kisame and Itachi shared an amused look; they already knew Kakashi well enough to understand exactly what was going on.

"Because I don't like people who think that they can get whatever they want just by using their name alone," Kakashi said and his tone serious as he glared right back at the younger boy. Neji stilled under the look, and his eyes averted down to the ground.

"...I don't rely on the Hyuuga name only," he said softly as his hands relaxed slightly. "I do have the skills-"

"No, no you don't!" Kakashi interrupted, wagging his finger before the boy's face. "Just because you have psychic abilities does not mean you have the skills to fight spirits!"

Neji stood up forcefully. "Byakugan!" he hissed, and the others stared at his eyes, watching as veins erupted around the corners and the normally blank pupils dilated, forming small circles in the centre.

Kakashi clapped his hands a few times. "Oooh, impressive Neji-kun. I see that your Byakugan is pretty strong already! But, I've seen better," he finished and both his colleagues turned away to hide their smirks. Kakashi loved toying with people.

Neji looked furious; his peachy pale face was tinged red while he glared and clenched his teeth. Kakashi sensed the danger heading his way, so he decided it was time to stop playing.

"If you are so insistent that you can handle spirits...what say we do a little test to prove it?" he said and Neji relaxed slightly, curiosity replacing the anger in his features.

"Test?" he asked hesitantly.

"We recently got a call from a friend in the police department who has told us about some strange happenings on Highway 23 near the border between Konoha city and Suna. Apparently, there have been several accidents on that highway, as well as disappearances. Survivors of the accidents insist that there was a hitchhiker in white that stood in the road. Many of the crashes happened when people tried to avoid this person, and he thinks that the disappearances might have occurred when people actually stopped to give this supposed hiker a ride. Police are, of course, searching for a person in white near that highway but so far it seems they've turned up nothing. Not even bodies."

Neji sat down again, his full attention on the man before him. Kakashi kept his tone serious.

"I was going to go out there later this evening, since all these incidences happened at night. Originally, Deidara was going to accompany me however...I'm sure we could make a change of plans if you were up to it," Kakashi finished slyly.

Neji looked at his hands, thinking carefully. Kakashi glanced over at his companions and Itachi shook his head with a smirk.

"Asshole," he mouthed and Kakashi just gave him a happy thumbs up. Kisame rolled his eyes, pulling out his phone and already getting a text ready for Deidara to let him know he wasn't going to go on this hunt. The man would probably be upset; after all he wanted to go on another job. He found them fun.

Neji sighed before looking up. "I'll do it," he said and jumped when Kakashi hopped out of his seat.

"Excellent! Well, you'd best go get something warm to wear as well as a bag of snacks since we have no idea how long we'll be out there tonight! Also, make sure you write out an 'In Case I Die' note for someone to read!" he said, and merrily made his way to the back room. "I'll pick you up at five!" he called over his shoulder.

Neji gaped after him before turning to the other two. Kisame just smiled at him and got up to talk to Deidara on the phone in private. Itachi smirked at him, quirking an eyebrow.

"You're welcome to back out now if you want," he informed and chuckled when Neji's glare increased tenfold. The Hyuuga stood and stormed from the room, making Itachi chuckle. He, too, loved to toy with people.

* * *

Neji blew on his hands, trying to warm them up. It was much colder than he had thought it would be, and even with his large white jacket, he felt chilled. His hair was braided back, courtesy of his younger cousin insisting that it would help him see better at night if he didn't have any hair hanging in front of his face. He fiddled with the small band that she had used. It was a bright red band that he honestly didn't like, but he couldn't find the heart to say no to her. She was only concerned for him, after all.

Kakashi tapped the steering wheel of the borrowed Ford Escort that they were using for this mission. He had managed to borrow it from Sasori's grandfather and was still relishing in the look on Neji's face when he'd arrived outside the fancy Hyuuga mansion to fetch him. They were just exiting onto Highway 23, and it was nearing six in the evening now. Mist was starting to settle across the road, and Neji stared out the window of the car, watching the fields become enshrouded by mist.

"So what exactly are we up against?" he asked quietly, shivering slightly. Kakashi hummed, moving into another lane.

"Well I did some research after getting as much information from Luka-that's our cop friend by the way- and my best guess would be that we're up against a sort of phantom hitchhiker," he said, checking the mirrors. They were alone on the road, it seemed.

Neji furrowed his brows, turning in his seat to look at him. "A phantom hitchhiker?" he questioned, and Kakashi snorted.

"Now you see that is _exactly_ what I mean when I say you don't have the skills!" he said teasingly. Neji scowled angrily but Kakashi simply waved it away.

"A phantom hitchhiker is pretty much the vengeful spirit of someone who died on the road, but there's a certain way one has to die to become a phantom hitchhiker. The legend or theory of it says that you have to die by being stranded on the road and, either freezing to death or starving to death, or anything like that. Of course, when one is on a road, you'd expect someone to drive by and take you away to get help. But a phantom hitchhiker occurs when that person died without getting help. Often the spirits will target people who don't offer rides. Those will be the nasty victims that don't get out alive," Kakashi explained, turning keen eyes to Neji who looked a bit pale. "As for those that are kind enough to offer help...I'd imagine those are the disappearances. What happens to them, I haven't a clue."

Neji swallowed and looked out towards the road. "So...what is our plan then?" he asked.

"I haven't the foggiest idea!" Kakashi said cheerfully.

"WHAT?.!"

"No need to scream into my ear, you know! I'm sitting right next to you!"

"You mean we're going out to find this thing with absolutely no plan on how to get rid of it whatsoever?" Neji demanded angrily.

"Basically yes," Kakashi replied thoughtfully.

Neji's glare reached epic proportions, and the beginnings of a few veins could be detected around his eyes. "Are you completely out of your mind? There's no telling what could happen to us now, you dim-wit!" he yelled and Kakashi rolled his eyes.

"You and Sasuke would get on well, the way you talk about me," he mumbled to himself and winced when he felt a punch on his arm.

"What the hell were you thinking? That we'd go out there, see the ghost and just ask it nicely to stop killing innocent people?" Neji hissed venomously.

"I had never thought of that! We should give it a try!" Kakashi answered happily. He suppressed a snigger when Neji began to hit the dashboard in anger. "Oi, take it easy now. This car isn't mine you know!"

"It isn't yours-FUCK! Then what happens when we go missing? How are they going to find us if you aren't even driving your own car? You're going to get us both killed and splattered over the damn road because you're too much of a lazy ass to come up with a plan!" Neji roared. His anger vanished when the car jerked to a halt, tires screeching slightly. Kakashi turned to look at him, his face stormy and cold.

"Alright, I'm done with the games," he began, his tone menacing. "I can take insults and overreactions about my lack of planning, but to say that I would sit back and let people get hurt just because I am lazy is going too bloody far. You don't know how I operate, I get it, but don't you dare go make assumptions about things you have no knowledge about! Just because I don't sit and wait and plan and make assessments like all you damn Hyuuga's does _not_ mean that I am an incapable psychic!" he snapped. Neji recoiled in his seat for a moment before bouncing back with new anger.

"Are you insulting the way the Hyuuga clan works? We take time to plan out our jobs and make sure that they will work without fail! People who come to us-"

"-Suffer while you sit and plan!" Kakashi interrupted harshly. "Yes, you get the job done without fail, but none of you Hyuuga's ever stop to think about how the people who come to you are feeling while you take your precious time to figure every detail out! I understand the want to have everything planned to the nail, but believe me," Kakashi narrowed his eyes, "For those that are counting on you to help them, the longer you wait to take action, the more they suffer from their fears and problems!"

Neji opened his mouth, but he couldn't think of an argument. And it seemed Kakashi was on a role.

"For example, let's say someone came to the Hyuuga's claiming that their five year old daughter was taken by a, uh, a poltergeist! And what would the Hyuuga's do?" he asked mockingly.

Neji stammered for a response. "They..they would assess-"

"Exactly!" Kakashi interrupted. "They wouldn't take action straight away! They would first assess the people; ask them a million questions to see if they were telling the truth or if there was anything paranormal at all. Then, should the people pass that long test, they would then send them away and start to make plans to see the house. Not plans to _do something_, just to _look_. Now put yourself into the parent's shoes! Their daughter is gone, the police won't and cannot help them, and the only people who can help are taking their sweet time to do anything; and the longer their daughter is gone, the less chance they have of ever seeing her alive again!" Kakashi now had his hands gripping Neji's shirt and he was hissing into his face. "The Hyuuga clan can boast all they want about being superior psychics, but in my book the ones that really help are the ones who are willing to take risks to save others!"

Neji stared at him, looking horrified and awed. He could feel it; the spiritual energy radiating from Kakashi was strong along with his emotions. Kakashi moved back to his seat, having slid halfway off it in his rant. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself after having lost control like that.

"...I'm sorry, Neji-kun. I shouldn't have yelled like I did," he apologised softly, "...But you have to understand this," he looked the young boy right in the eyes, "...I will not wait when lives are in danger...even if it means my own will be jeopardized."

Neji swallowed thickly, staring at this man that he had taken for a fool. But now, he saw him in a new light and he realized that Hatake Kakashi was not at all the blithering idiot he had assumed he was, but a clever and loyal man who was willing to take huge risks for the benefit of others.

Neji bowed his head.

"Forgive me, Hatake-san. I was out of line in saying all those things about you. It is as you say...I have no knowledge of this subject matter; I have no right to judge it thus."

Kakashi sighed as he started the car again. "It's alright. Now then, let us continue on. We still have some time before we reach the haunted spot...We can make a few plans during then," he said and smiled beneath his mask.

Neji scoffed. "Cheeky," he mumbled but listened intently to Kakashi as they drove.

* * *

Night had fallen now and the mist was thicker than ever. It swirled across the ground like an ocean trapped in a time warp, moving slowly and lazily across the land. The trees in the forest loomed overhead like dark sentinels of the earth, their hidden eyes alert and watchful as the old car rumbled along the road. The mist streamed past the windows like a river as they drove forwards in silence. It had gotten even colder, and Neji was puffing on his hands. He felt foolish, since Kakashi seemed perfectly fine and he wasn't wearing an overly thick jacket.

"You can use spiritual energy, you know," Kakashi said after a moment, and Neji turned to look at him.

"Sorry?"

"Spiritual energy. You can use it to keep your hands warm," the man elaborated and Neji blinked in surprise. "Just focus some energy to your hands, and you'll find them a lot warmer."

Neji did so, and was amazed to find that his hands did indeed feel much warmer. He smiled slightly, pleased to learn a new trick that was useful and turned to thank Kakashi.

"KAKASHI LOOK OUT!" he yelled instead, eyes widening.

Kakashi slammed on the brakes, and the car slid on the road. It seemed that it had gotten just a little bit icy. It was obviously much colder than either of them had realized. Both of them jolted when the car finally halted, and the two of them stared at the figure standing there before them. They were wearing a large white overcoat and had a rucksack slung over their shoulder.

Kakashi sucked in a breath and rolled down his window.

"Are you alright there?" he called and Neji stared at him.

"Are you crazy? You can't expect the ghost to talk!" he hissed.

"I am fine."

The two blinked and looked at each other before turning to look at the person standing there. They started to walk forwards again, until they stood beside Kakashi's window. They bent down and the two in the car saw a young man, perhaps even a teenager, staring at them through dark glasses. He had frizzy brown hair and a lot of his face was hidden by the collar of his coat.

"Would it be inconsiderable of me to ask for a lift?" the person said.

Kakashi blinked slowly while Neji gaped.

"...You're alive!" he said in shock and the person raised an eyebrow.

"Yes I am. Why is that? Your car did not hit me and therefore I was not fatally injured. Thus I am, indeed, alive," they said slowly and Neji felt rather stupid for blurting that out. The look Kakashi sent him didn't help either.

"What is your name, young man?" the silver head asked politely.

"Aburame Shino. And what may I call you two?"

"I'm Hatake Kakashi, and this here is Hyuuga Neji!" Kakashi introduced cheerfully. "And why are you walking around here at this hour, Aburame-san?" he asked, his sharp eyes narrowing on the boy's face.

Shino stared back at him. "Forgive me, Hatake-san...but that is my business and mine alone."

Kakashi smirked at the answer. "Very well. You say you'd like a lift but to where?"

"Konoha city."

Kakashi smiled. "Well we will be heading there before morning, so if you don't mind going for a bit of a luxury drive, then you're welcome to join us!" he said and winced when he felt Neji elbow him in the side. "Is something wrong, Neji-kun?" he asked cheerfully.

Neji leant close to his ear. "Yes, something is bloody wrong! If we bring this guy with, we won't be able to hunt the ghost!" he whispered and Kakashi nodded.

"Yes, but if we leave him then there's a good chance that he will fall victim to the phantom and it'll be on our heads to boot for ignoring his request!"

Neji sat back, thinking about it. Kakashi had a good point.

"Besides," Kakashi continued, "If we leave him to die, we'll most likely have another phantom hitchhiker on our hands later!"

Neji sent him a horrified look and Kakashi just chuckled.

"Climb in Aburame-san!" he said, opening his door and leaning his seat forward so that the boy could get into the backseat. Shino nodded in thanks and climbed in and Kakashi started the car up again.

"We're going to drive just a bit further and then we'll turn right around okay?" he said to the two young men. He received a nod from Shino and a sigh from Neji. "Right! Let's go!"

They drove on in silence, watching the mist pass by and the trees rustle overhead. Even with the bright lights on, they found it hard to see more than a few feet ahead.

After driving for another half hour, Kakashi decided that it was time to turn back. They hadn't caught sight of anything strange so far. Perhaps this phantom had specifics when it came to its victims. He would have to double check the victims and see if there were any connections between them.

"Right, time to head back I guess," he sighed, slowing down to start turning. Neji suppressed a sigh of his own. He wasn't sure if he was glad that they weren't going to hunt this ghost yet, or if he was disappointed. He chose not to dwell on it right now, though.

Shino hadn't said a word since he got in the car, and was instead looking at an electronic device in his hands. Neji couldn't identify what it was.

The car turned around slowly and drove about ten paces before there was a loud bang. Neji jumped and even Kakashi started rather violently in his chair. Shino's head snapped up in surprise and the three of them briefly saw something in front of the car before the mist swallowed it up.

Kakashi shared a look with Neji, the younger of the two looking pale.

"I'll go check the tires," Kakashi said after a moment and Neji almost had a heart attack when he pushed his door open.

"Wait! H-Hatake-san!" he called, but Kakashi waved away his voice.

"Just wait in the car, I'll be back in a moment!" he insisted and walked around to the front.

Neji and Shino watched him as he moved to the front of the car. They saw him cross his arms and shake his head as he looked at something, and Neji could make out the annoyance in his eye. Most of Kakashi's face was, as always it seemed, hidden by a mask and his hair hung over his other eye too. But Neji could make out the emotion in the visible eye, and right now it was one of annoyance and perhaps a little bit of fear.

"Come on, Hatake-san," the Hyuuga murmured, clenching his fists. "Hurry up."

Shino looked over at him and cocked an eyebrow. "You seem a bit nervous, Hyuuga-san."

Neji scowled. "No, I'm freezing!" he snapped, facing away. In truth he _was_ nervous. Although he came from a clan of psychics, he himself had only been up against a ghost once. And that had been the ghost that killed his father when he was younger. He remembered that horrible time all too well.

It had been the first hunt he'd ever gone on, and he had only been able to go because he begged his father to let him while promising he wouldn't get in the way. Unfortunately, the ghost they'd been hunting had been stronger than they anticipated and with Neji's added person...they hadn't made a plan that would offer the best protection. Neji had been a last minute throw in, thus messing up the plans they had made beforehand and as a result, his father had had to save him at the cost of his own life.

Since then, Neji had trained and trained but never gone out on an actual hunt. He knew he talked big and he knew others saw him as a strong and pompous asshole-fitting of the Hyuuga name really- but in truth he was nervous as shit to be on this hunt. It was as Kakashi had said. He had relied on his name to get him what he wanted. He never expected that someone would deny him, a Hyuuga, something as small as a little job.

But that was why he found himself respecting Kakashi so much. The man saw past the wealth and the power behind his name. He saw him for what he was; a young boy that relied heavily on his family name rather than his own abilities. Kakashi could see how nervous he was about this whole thing.

Neji felt ashamed of himself for ever thinking he could fool the man.

But then again, he did fool his uncle. That had to be saying something.

"Hyuuga-san!"

Neji was snapped out of his thoughts by Shino's voice, and he looked up only to gasp in horror when he saw a figure standing right behind Kakashi. They were wearing a white coat with a hood.

"KAKASHI!"

Kakashi looked up at Neji's shout, but before anyone could react his legs were pulled out from under him. He toppled forwards with a grunt and collided with the hood of the car. Neji immediately started to fumble with the door handle, trying to get the door open even as Kakashi slid off the hood. He pushed the door open, trying to get out of the car as fast as he could when his jacket caught on the seatbelt. He cried out as he jerked back, but his eyes stayed trained on Kakashi.

"Kaka-"

His call was cut off as Kakashi started to slide backwards across the ground as if someone was dragging him. He scratched at the ground with his hands, trying to find some kind of grip to stop himself from moving but it was useless. By the time Neji managed to yank his jacket away from the door, Kakashi had been dragged into the mist.

"Kakashi!" Neji started to run after him, the mist soon swallowing him whole and obscuring his vision of everything but the road on which he ran.

"Byakugan!"

His eyes activated and he skidded to a stop, gasping. He spun on the spot, looking around in horror.

'_This mist...it's not mist at all! It's spiritual energy!_' he thought in panic. It was no wonder the mist seemed so _alive_. He panted for breath, turning around and around; trying desperately to find some trace of the man.

He caught sight of a thin trail of light silver spiritual energy. '_Kakashi!_'

He started to move towards it, but the sound of glass shattering behind him made him freeze.

"Shit!" he turned around, trying to see the car. Shino was still there, and if the phantom went for him...

'_I_ _will not wait when lives are in danger...even if it means my own will be jeopardized._'

Neji cursed again, starting to run back towards the car. He couldn't let something happen to Shino; the boy was innocent and unknowing of what was happening. Neji was his only chance, most likely.

From just beyond the mist he could make out a bright light, and he hurried towards it.

When he reached the spot where the car was, he skidded to a halt and gasped in horror. The car was aflame, the interior already burning black from the fierce fire licking at its sides. He took a step back, eyes wide as he watched the car burn. He couldn't see Shino anywhere.

'_Is he...Oh God, was I too late?_' he thought in despair, bringing his hands up to wipe away some sweat that had gathered on his forehead from the heat of the fire and from his own stress.

He heard something in the car hiss, and then he was flying through the air as the car exploded. He landed harshly on the ground, skidding across the patches of ice and mud littered over the road. He felt something sharp scratch his back and cried out before finally he slid to a stop.

Groaning, he pushed himself up. He was thankful now that his hair was tied up so he could see without having to brush it back over and over. He stared at the burning wreck that was once a car and tried to catch his breath.

He gripped his head, trying to think of what to do. They didn't have a plan; he had no clue how to just wing it! He'd never done that before!

"Dammit Kakashi!" Neji growled.

He just didn't know what to do.

* * *

**Reviews would be greatly appreciated!**

**Next part will be out as soon as I write it. XD  
**


	5. Phantom Hitchhiker Part 2

**Here's part 2! ^_^ ...please don't kill me for the wait. ._.**

**I really don't have too much to say... Uh...so, carry on?**

**Warnings: Language, supernatural, horror.**

**Characters: Kakashi, Neji, Shino,**

**Phantom Hitchhiker Part 2  
**

* * *

Neji ground his teeth together in frustration, his hands coming up to press against his head as he tried to think of what to do. He had searched the car-explosion site thoroughly and he found no trace of Shino anywhere. Not even his rucksack.

"Shit!" he cursed, stomping his foot. '_What does that mean? Did he escape? Did the ghost get him?_' he wondered frantically, taking unsteady steps backwards. The moon was high in the sky by now, casting an eerie silver glow on the mist shrouding the surrounding trees from view. The temperature seemed to have dropped several degrees and Neji was freezing. He pulled his jacket tighter, trying to keep as much warmth as he could while he tried to come up with some sort of plan.

'_Okay...Okay, I'll go find Kakashi! H-he'll know what to do to find Shino!_' he nodded, turning...and turning...and turning.

'_Which way was he dragged?_'

Neji almost cried in his frustration as he activated his Byakugan. It was so hard to make anything out; the spiritual energy was so thick in the mist. He concentrated harder, lifting up his hands and beginning a simple movement that he'd learned that was supposed to help clear the air of spiritual energy. Moving his hands slowly as he focused his own spiritual energy into motion, he watched as things seemed to get a little clearer around him. Taking hope from this new plan, he kept going until he caught sight of Kakashi's silver spiritual energy.

"Got it!" He took off, following the faint trail as it led him off the side of the road and into the trees. Mud and ice squelched and crunched underfoot as he struggled through the forest, pushing branches out the way and trying not to slip and break his neck on the unsteady ground. The trail led him through a grove of bushes that were wet and frosted over, and over a mound that tried to swallow his feet in the mud. Cursing softly to himself as he pulled his foot out of yet another deep mud-puddle, Neji froze when the sound of a wolf's howl met his ears. He looked up slowly, eyes fearful. The last thing he needed to deal with was a pack of wild wolves.

When the howling stopped, he continued on, slower than before and with much less outbursts of cursing.

"Where'd you go, Kakash-IIIIT!" Neji cried out as his feet slid out from under him and he landed on his back on a slope, immediately beginning to slide down the hill. He grunted as he slid over stones and bumps, feeling his jacket get scuffed and torn from the rough path. His arm tingled in pain when he tumbled over, knocking it against a root. As he continued the messy road down to the bottom, he tried to grab onto something.

Just as his hand found a root to hold, the ground below his legs vanished. He grunted, holding onto the root with all his strength while his legs kicked feebly in the air. Panting with effort to keep himself from falling, he used his Byakugan to peer around him and gasped. There was a drop below him. He couldn't quite estimate how far down as there was so much mist still, swarming around him like a malicious cloud. He deactivated his eyes, knowing that he would need all his strength and energy to keep himself up and get to safety. The root in his hands was wet and slippery, and he had to keep readjusting his hold. He had to find a better holding place soon or else he'd never make it.

Looking around, he saw a thin tree trunk a few inches away. With half his body hanging off the miniature cliff, he tried to swing himself to the side to get a chance to grab onto the trunk. Trying not to panic when he felt his hands slipping more and more, he continued to swing until he had enough momentum. He let go of the root with one hand, stretching it out. He managed to catch the trunk and let out a triumphant grunt while he hung with his arms stretched out. Now it was only a matter of swinging and grabbing the trunk with his other arm and he would be able to pull himself up.

He was about to let go when a sound reached his ears and he froze. It was a steady crunching of feet on wet leaves and mud, and he stared forwards up the hill that was shrouded in mist. A figure was walking towards him, and he could make out the white coat.

'_Ghosts can't make noise can they?_' he thought, perking up. "Shino! Shino-san, is that you? Help!" he called. The steps continued and he growled. "Quickly, I'm hanging off a cliff here!"

The steps were steady still and Neji was beginning to get nervous as the figure got closer. Their hands weren't in their pockets, instead hanging by their sides as they walked. Neji paled, trying to call out again.

"...S-Shino-san?"

The mist cleared, revealing a hooded face and Neji only had a moment to scream out before the ghost was zooming towards him. In a blur of white, it rushed over and _through_ him and his hands released both their holds. Neji continued to scream as he plummeted down through mist and darkness before landing and entering a new kind of darkness that resided in his mind.

* * *

It was colder than ever before when Neji regained consciousness, lying amongst frosted bushes at the bottom of the steep drop. He let out a pained breath, not able to make a sound. His muscles ached not only from the fall but from the freezing cold too. He could feel the beginnings of ice on his skin and turned his head weakly, trying to get it off. His lips were undoubtedly blue by now and he stuck out his tongue to weakly lick at them in an effort to warm them up.

With effort, he sat up amidst the wet green and brown leaves, his back clicking horribly. He hissed, falling forwards until he was on all fours. With a shivering hand, he reached up and wiped at his face, his fingers icy cold and sore. He didn't have the strength to stand yet, he knew that. Instead he opted for crawling forwards slowly, trying to find some sort of shelter. It was pitch black and his hands hurt as he crossed the stick, stone and ice riddled ground. He stopped when he reached a tree trunk and leant his back against it, pulling his limbs closer to him in an effort to gain warmth.

'_Shit...It's so cold...This can't be normal temperature! The spirit's power must be making this area especially cold. The mist perhaps?_' he wondered, breathing heavily on his hands in an attempt to bring life back into them.

There was a rush of air, and Neji looked up in time to see an almost solid white figure fly overhead through the mist. His eyes stared up in fear as the ghost seemed to circle around above like a vulture. He didn't make a sound, his body as still as a stone until finally the spirit seemed to fade away again and Neji slumped against the trunk.

'_This is insane! I'm going to end up dying out here! What was I thinking, coming on this trip? What was I thinking when I said I'd lead the clan? So what if I can hold my own in a physical battle? It's completely different with the real deal!_' he panicked in his mind. He just couldn't understand it. He had been trained for this line of work and yet the moment he encountered something real, it was like all the training and lessons had scurried to the back of his mind and locked themselves away behind a door he couldn't open.

He was sitting in despair when a sound caught his ears. It was a low rumbling and it was getting closer and becoming louder. Neji looked up, his eyes scanning the area above him. The mist was going crazy, swirling and shifting around unnaturally. His mind was screaming at him, red alerts going off as he slowly pulled himself to his feet, his back to the tree trunk. The rumbling was growing louder and it was followed a strangely wet squelching that made Neji extremely nervous about its origins.

He started to look around and then froze, his jaw dropping and his eyes bulging as he saw a wall of rock, mud and gravel tumbling towards him. It was a landslide.

"Shit!"

He turned and started to run as fast as his frozen and stiff legs could carry him on the uneven ground. It was so dark he was running blindly, his hands reaching out before him to push away branches and obstacles. He could hear the oncoming disaster and panicked as he scrambled away from it. If he slowed and was caught in the mud, he was doomed. Was this how the ghost got rid of its victims? Buy burying them under a landslide? He knew that this area in particular did have a few landslides from time to time. No one would suspect anything.

His leg muscles burned from the strain as he fought his way through the dark forest. His foot got caught on a root and he cried out as he fell. He turned his head, watching as the wall of mud and rock came towards him. He was so done for.

"Hyuuga-san!"

Neji's head snapped up in shock as he felt a hand grab his wrist and tug him up, his foot pulling free from the root. He didn't have time to think before he was being pulled away from the disaster zone. A steep hill came into view and his saviour dragged him over it just as the mud crashed against the bottom. Neji stumbled over the hill, landing on his backside on the wet ground while he panted for breath. He looked up, his eyes staring incredulously at Shino. The boy was bent over, breathing heavily while his muddied hand rested on his knees.

"S-Shino-san? You're alive!" Neji murmured in surprise. Shino nodded looking up.

"When you ran off, I got out of the car and chased you. However, I got lost in the fog and when I found my way back to the car it was destroyed," he explained before he lowered himself to his knees and took a deep breath. "It was difficult to find you, but thankfully my heat-sensor was still working."

Neji blinked, tilting his head. "Heat-sensor?" he asked in confusion and watched as Shino pulled out the device he had been playing with in the car.

"Yes. It is something that I made with my father a while ago. It is able to track heat signatures in the human body. It was broken for some time; I was fixing it in the car. It started to work just before I left the car. I'm glad it did," he added, turning to Neji. "It helped me find you in time."

Neji swallowed and nodded. "I owe you my life, Shino-san," he said thankfully and Shino waved his hand.

"No, it is fine. But now we have to worry about your friend," he said, looking up at the sky. "That...ghost...will be looking for us for sure," he mumbled.

"How do you know about ghosts?" Neji asked sharply as he climbed to his feet, wincing at the pain. Shino sighed, scratching at his head.

"Aside from what I've read in books, seen on the T.V or heard through rumours, I know nothing. I did not really believe in them until just now since there's no other explanation I could come up with," he replied and Neji could hear the uncertainty and disbelief colouring his voice. He understood how the boy must be feeling.

"I'm sorry you had to find out the truth this way," he mumbled softly as he dusted some dirt off his pants. "But yes...it is a ghost. And we're running out of time," he continued, looking towards the sky. "The ghost will vanish the moment the first rays of sunlight hit the sky. We have to find Kakashi before then!"

Shino nodded. "While I understand our goals...I wonder how we can achieve them, exactly?" he asked softly, looking up at the sky as well. Neji narrowed his eyes as he pondered their situation, wondering what to do.

"Does your heat-sensor still work?" he asked quietly. Shino pulled the device out of his pocket, looking down at the screen.

"Yes, it does. But it isn't picking up anything aside from ours right now," he said. Neji nodded.

"Alright. I'll find us a trail to where Kakashi might be, and we follow it until your heat-sensor starts to register something. Understand?"

Shino tilted his head. "How do you expect to find a trail in this darkness? It is pitch black and you have no source of light."

Neji smirked. "The mist is not nearly as thick around this area. I don't need a light to see." He raised his hands, pressing them together to get better concentration. He was going to need it after all the energy he'd lost. "_Byakugan_!"

His eyes pulsed, veins spreading out at their sides. After a few seconds, Neji could see everything. The trees and forest floor were thrown into a greyscale relief, the edges defined out of the darkness. He could still see spiritual energy from the ghost permeating the air, but it was not nearly as thick as before. He turned, noting Shino's spiritual energy was a faint, greenish grey and then continued to survey the area. He narrowed his eyes, concentrating as much of his spiritual energy as he could into his eyes. The area became even clearer than ever, and his vision began to spread out. His head started to scream in agony as his vision spread out to a 100 meter radius around them and he fell to his knees. Shino was by his side instantly, asking him if he was alright and what he could do but Neji just shook his head, panting harshly while he determinedly stared out ahead of him.

'_Come on...Come on...Where are you?_' he thought until finally something caught his eye towards the South. '_THERE!_'

He let his eyes fade and collapsed, breathing heavily while Shino kept him from face-planting the floor.

"H-He's towards the South," he gasped, pointing. "We...head that way."

Shino nodded, not questioning Neji's abilities. The Hyuuga had to hand it to the boy; he was taking everything rather well considering the situation they were in.

Together they began to trudge through the thick forest towards the direction Neji had pointed. Neji was leaning heavily on Shino, his energy close to zero from all the exertion. Shino seemed to have enough stored for the both of them, as he was able to guide Neji through the uneven and rough terrain without complaint.

They walked in silence, the sounds of nature at night the only music to their ears under the faint glow of the moon. Finally they reached the destination Neji had seen the trail and Shino pulled out his heat-sensor. It really didn't look all too professional, instead looking like something that had been made from spare parts of various devices. However, it was their only chance to find Kakashi now. Neji's eyes were as normal as Shino's until he regained enough energy to use them.

"It's picking something up from this direction!" Shino announced after a few moments of silent walking. They picked up their pace, and the mist grew thicker as they went lower. Suddenly, out of the dreary grey fog loomed a shadowy entrance to an old cave.

"I didn't know there were caves here," Neji said, staring at the ominous looking entrance. Shino shifted beside him, tinkering with his device before he nodded resolutely.

"The heat signals are coming from in there. There's something alive in there."

Neji shivered, half from cold and half from the realization that they would have to go inside the cave to investigate. He looked up, examining the sky as best he could before he groaned.

"Let's go."

The cave was dark, cold, wet and more than anything, scary. The two boys stayed close, keeping tabs on each other since they couldn't see a thing and were relying on the faint light from Shino's heat-sensor to guide them. They tripped, stumbled and bumped into things plenty of times before finally the signal was strong and they could see the faintest hint of moonlight.

"Over there," Neji said softly, his voice shaking from the cold. They edged their way towards the light, worried about what they might find.

They entered a cavern in which there was a hole in the roof, moonlight streaming down while small flakes of ice drifted down. There were protruding stalactites and a few stalagmites littering the cavern floor, and a single drip of water had formed a small puddle in a crevice, the constant drip like the ticking of a clock. The beam of moonlight drew both boys attention to the area it highlighted on the floor. Neji covered his mouth and Shino tensed, his lips curving in a frown.

In ragged, tattered clothes that had been worn and torn by ages of lying in this cavern, the skeleton of a person dressed in white rested against the cavern wall. It was obvious by the bones that their leg had been broken and Neji closed his eyes.

'_That's the hiker. They likely travelled through the woods after no one helped them and fell through the hole. It would be hard to see it in the winter with the ice and mud, especially at night._'

Shino suddenly tugged on his arm, pulling him out of his musings.

"Over there!"

Neji followed his hand and his eyes widened at seeing four people propped up against the wall. One of them had silver hair.

"Kakashi!"

Neji hurried over, Shino right on his tail and they crouched beside Kakashi, checking his vitals. He was breathing, and it seemed he was just unconscious, but he was freezing cold. They needed to get him out of the ice cold cavern soon or else he would catch some serious frostbite.

"Hyuuga-san," Shino said, his voice shocked and he guided Neji to Kakashi's wrists. They were imbedded in the wall, held there by a layer of ice. Neji stared at it in disbelief before clenching his jaw.

"The spirit can manipulate the environment to some extent. We need to break this ice!" he said. Shino nodded, leaning closer.

"We cannot try to smash it. It is hard to tell, but," he held up his heat-sensor, using the monitor light to see, "it looks like if it shatters, it will slice his wrists. We will have to try and remove it without disrupting the parts around his wrist."

Neji glared at the boy. "So you want me to do something near impossible? That spirit could arrive at any moment and trap us both, and then we'll all die in this damn cavern!" he snapped, his body wracked with a bout of shivers as he spoke. Shino sent him an unimpressed look.

"If there is even the slightest chance, should we not take it?" he asked sternly and Neji stiffened, his eyes widening at the words. He looked away, biting his lip.

'_I need to stop that. He's right, if there's a chance we have to try. We have to take risks,_' he thought and turned back to Shino, nodding. They turned back to Kakashi, trying to break the ice and ease it away from the man's wrists. Minutes bled by and Neji knew by Kakashi's increasingly shallow breathing that the man was getting worse. Whatever the spirit had done to him was working and if they didn't free him and get him out, he would be as dead as the poor souls propped up along the wall besides him.

Neji sat back, cursing profusely after another failed attempt. He'd almost pressed the ice _into_ Kakashi's wrists, and that would've been extremely bad. Kakashi would've started to bleed out from that wrist while he was still trapped.

'_Dammit! If only we had some fire or something!_' he thought in anguish. A second ticked by, and then another before his eyes widened drastically and he snapped upright so harshly Shino jumped, looking at him questioningly.

'_That's it!_' he thought, placing his hands gently over the ice keeping Kakashi locked. He focused on sending his spiritual energy to his hands, keeping it steady. He felt his hands warm up, and then droplets of water started to form and slide down. "Yes!" he laughed triumphantly, turning to Shino.

"I've got it!" he said, grinning widely as Shino saw the progress he was making. "Shino-san, just place your hands over his and concentrate as much of your energy as you can. It will help if you envision a small flame in your mind."

Shino was looking at him sceptically, and Neji's grin faded some. "Trust me!" he said slowly and Shino hesitated briefly before doing as he said. Neji didn't need his eyes to see that the boy was struggling to do anything with his spiritual energy. After all, Shino wasn't trained to control it, but Neji had given him the tools to use the basic lesson in its control. Envision it.

Minutes ticked by and then Shino let out a surprised gasp. Neji glanced over, pleased to see the soft steam rising from the boy's hands. He'd gotten it right.

"That's right! Just keep envisioning it!" he instructed softly. Shino nodded and they stuck to their task diligently.

Kakashi's wrist was almost free when Neji heard him groan. He almost laughed, pleased to hear the sound.

"Don't worry Kakashi, we'll get you out of here!" he muttered eagerly.

There was a great roar of wind and flakes of ice and leaves suddenly blew into the cave, the freezing air snapping against his back. He froze solid, his eyes wide as his head slowly lifted up. Shino was still too, his own lips gaping in shock.

'_It's here..._'

"Shino-san...Continue thawing out Kakashi's wrists," he said lowly, pushing himself up to his feet. He sucked in a breath while Shino glanced at him nervously. "I'll keep it busy."

Neji wasted no time, spinning around and falling into the stance that he had been using since his father died.

'_I've been trained for this...I have to do it. I will make my father proud!_'

* * *

Shino diligently continued his task of melting the ice. He still didn't know how he was managing it, but he trusted Neji's word. He was getting so close, just a bit more and Kakashi's wrist would be free. Then he could move on and finish Neji's side.

It was hard to concentrate, however, when he could hear the fight going on behind him.

Neji let out a huff of breath as he once again swung his arms rapidly, blocking multiple attacks from the ghost. It was using the environment to fight, throwing small but deadly sharp rocks or icicles at him. He'd had to avoid sudden dips in the floor as well.

He blocked the last projectile and rushed forward. Letting out a yell of determination, he swung his hand forward, the palm flat, and forced it towards the ghost.

It moved at the last second, blurring and vanishing from his line of sight.

Neji cursed, spinning around and bringing his other hand up. It glowed faintly with spiritual energy and he rammed it forward, letting a smirk onto his face when he saw it had sunk into the ghost's centre. For a moment, nothing moved. Then the wind picked up, howling so fiercely it sounded like a scream.

Neji watched his tendrils of his spiritual energy started to thread outwards, creating a spider web of blue-grey through the ghost's body. Soon, it would start to break apart and the ghost would be dealt with. He just had to hold on-

"Gah!" Neji could only yell as he was suddenly thrust backwards, slamming into the wall of the cave and sliding down, groaning in pain. His body had taken too much abuse for the night. He struggled to sit up, wincing as his hands scraped against the floor and his knees just ached, period!

'_Shit...shit...shit in a shovel..._' he thought angrily, looking up as the ghost started to float towards him, and he clenched his fists tightly, wondering how it was going to kill him. Maybe it would string him up too. Or perhaps it would make the wall cave in and crush him.

Either way, it was not looking pretty.

He sucked in a breath as the ghost stood-floated-over him and he waited, tensing in preparation for one final struggle.

Suddenly, light burst somewhere off to the right, and then Neji watched in shock as the hitchhiker's ghost suddenly seemed to burn, lighting up as shadow flames licked up its sides and wrapped around its head. It was writhing, struggling against its doom as the flames engulfed it.

When the fire cleared, there was nothing but the stench of burning grime, and the crackle of bone breaking under intense heat.

"Well...That was a close one."

Neji blinked rapidly, letting his eyes clear of the white spots he'd attained due to the sudden light, and his jaw dropped at seeing Kakashi leaning against the cave wall, massaging his wrists and smiling at him through his mask. In his right hand was a small bottle engraved with a cross, a few droplets of a viscous substance still dribbling out.

"W-what...?" Neji gasped, looking to the right. He blanched at seeing the skeleton of the hitchhiker aflame, the bones crumbling and the clothing turning to charred ash. A silver lighter lay on the very edge of the flames.

"Holy fire, in a sense," Kakashi supplied, clearing his throat when it cracked. He shivered, wrapping his arms around himself. "I brought this bottle of blessed oil along, just in case we found the skeleton. I had a hunch that was what tied to ghost to this place rather than angry resentment."

Shino moved over to Neji, helping the boy to his feet and letting him lean against him for support. They hobbled over to Kakashi, who's eye crinkled up happily as he looked at them.

"You both did splendidly well. Neji, you were excellent. You put aside your hesitance, and you fought the spirit with such low energy. You persevered and to top it off, you kept Shino-san close by. That's admirable."

"No...No, I didn't. Shino found me," Neji admitted, lowering his gaze. "He helped me out more than I helped him. I was useless."

"I disagree. You were the one who not only fought the ghost, but found our lead to Kakashi-san's whereabouts too. You were admirable," Shino interrupted smoothly and Neji sent him a wide-eyed look of thanks while Kakashi smiled.

"Daresay Neji...You're on the team."

Neji's head snapped up so fast the other two winced for him. "You mean I'm hired? You'll let me be a part of Rei-Senzai?" he asked and at Kakashi's nod, he let out a disbelieving laugh. "Thanks!"

Kakashi chuckled, moving towards the cave entrance. "Come on boys. Let's get out of here and find our way home. Shino-san, we'll of course give you a lift."

Both boys halted in their steps, looking at each other nervously.

"Uh...About the car," Neji began awkwardly and Kakashi stopped, turning to look at them.

"What about it?" he asked.

Neji bit his lip, mumbling something under his breath. Kakashi cocked an eyebrow and leant closer.

"What was that? I didn't catch you?" he said slowly and Neji mumbled something again before Shino sighed heavily.

"He said the car blew up. We no longer have one."

"IT WHAT_?_!"

* * *

Neji took in a deep breath, letting the fresh air fill his lungs.

He coughed violently as a truck drove by, exhaust fumes filling the air and his mouth and he turned to offer a rude gesture at the vanishing driver.

"Bloody asshole," he mumbled darkly, waving away the fumes and walking up towards the fence. He looked at the placard declaring Rei-Senzai Inc and smiled. He had made it. He had gotten into the team like he wanted! Finally he could train to be a real ghost hunter, train to take over the clan head and still have his freedom.

'_I hope I made you proud dad._'

With his head held high and smirk on his face, he walked up the stairs to the front door, pushing it open and stepping into his new residence of work.

He walked into the living room/main office and held up a hand in greeting to the people gathered. "Good morning."

There were chorused 'good mornings' said and he moved to take a seat. Kakashi suddenly rolled out of one of the back rooms, sitting on a chair as he glided across the floor.

"Ah! Neji! Good morning to you!" he greeted cheerfully and Neji waved in reply.

"Hello Kakashi."

Sasori was glaring at the leader, a dark scowl on his face. Neji looked at him warily when Deidara leant over and whispered in his ear.

"Sasori has to pay towards buying his granddad a new car, since it was our company that blew up his old one. He's not happy with Kakashi," he explained and Neji's brows twitched upward in guilt.

"I see," he mumbled and Deidara sent him a 'what can you do' look before moving to sit next to the fuming red head.

"Neji! I have some wonderful news," Kakashi said as he wheeled over to him, slapping a hand on his shoulder. Neji looked at him curiously, wondering if they already had another job and they wanted him to come along.

"What is it?"

"We have a new member for out tech staff!" Kakashi beamed. "He should be arriving soon!"

Neji shrugged off his hand, lips turned up in a sarcastic sneer. "Hooray. And that's interesting to me, how?"

There was a knock at the front door and Kakashi practically squealed, jumping off his chair.

"Come in! The doors unlocked!"

Neji turned, along with the others, to see who the newest member of the team was. His jaw dropped and his eyes bugged out of his head.

"S-S-Shino-san?" he asked incredulously. The boy nodded his head. He was still wearing a large overcoat and his dark glasses were on his face as usual.

"Hello again, Hyuuga-san. I look forward to working with you," he said calmly and Neji snapped his mouth closed as Kakashi stood behind the boy.

"Shino here will handle a lot of our electronics! Isn't it wonderful?"

Neji watched as Shino moved away in time to miss Kakashi's hug, and the man ended up sprawled on the floor. While Deidara asked if he was okay and Sasori roared with malicious laughter at his expense, Neji allowed the smallest smile onto his face.

"Yeah. It's wonderful."

* * *

**I can't help but feel it was slightly anti-climatic. ¬_¬**

**Review would be highly appreciated, and I hope you enjoyed this part! More will come...eventually... XD  
**


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